A Finchel Season 6
by FinchelFan728
Summary: Sequel to a Finchel Season 5, follows my AU Glee after Season 4. Finn is now directing a glee club of his own, Rachel's career is taking off, and the two are newlywed and living in New York, along with the newlywed Kurt and Blaine, as well as Santana, Sam, Tina, Artie and Mercedes. What will the third year post high school bring for the glee alumni?
1. Chapter 1: Twenty Year Old Director

_Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to post the first chapter of my Season 6. Like I said, work's been pretty overwhelming lately, and I was also having issues with my stove (long story...) earlier this week that got in the way of writing. The good news is that the first chapter is ready! I have lots of plans for my Season 6 and I hope you enjoy it and review if I should keep going! As for this chapter - I know Finn's birthday was never stated on screen, but according to Glee Wiki, it's August 24, so I'm going with that :)_

Chapter 1: Twenty Year Old Director

Finn took a look around the choir room. It was hard to believe that in a week, this would be his space. Not as an assistant or a co-director or a substitute, but as the director.

Today he had scheduled a meeting with the seniors of the choir so he could learn something about the dynamics and how this would work. The seniors would be arriving soon, but right now it was just him.

Finn thought back to his days as director of the New Directions. It had been hard, but in a way it had been easier since he knew the glee club and he knew lots of the kids. He'd never met these kids before, and he didn't know much about this school. He'd wanted this job and now he had it, so why was he so nervous?

The school had given him the seniors' contact information, and he'd sent them an e-mail, asking them to meet him here today so they could talk. He'd gotten an e-mail back from one of the girls, saying that they'd be here. Finally, the door opened, and six kids came in. A brunette girl dressed similar to how Rachel dressed at the beginning of high school, a slightly heavy redheaded girl, a Latina girl in a tracksuit, a blond boy who may have even been taller than Finn, an Asian boy wearing an outfit that would probably make Kurt jealous, and a brunette boy in a soccer uniform. "So, you're the new director?" the tall boy asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I'm Finn. I'm going into my sophomore year at Columbia."

"You look familiar," the girl dressed like early high school Rachel said. "Aren't you the guy who kissed his girlfriend on stage when Nationals were in New York a few years ago?"

Finn felt his face growing hot. What would these kids think of that? "Well, yeah." He tried to think of the right thing to say. "But I think I more than made up for it the next year when I led my glee club to a National title."

"Yeah, I guess you did," the boy dressed similar to Kurt mumbled, eyeing Finn. "Well, I'm sure you'll be better than our last leader, Ms. Goulde."

"She didn't know what she was doing," the third boy added.

"Well, I know what I'm doing," Finn said. "So, like I said, I'm Finn, I'm a sophomore at Columbia studying education, and I was in a show choir in high school, too. Can you guys tell me your names?"

"I'm Caitlin," one of the girls said. "I'm the female lead and I just want to finish high school with a trip to Regionals. Maybe then I can get into NYADA."

Another NYADA hopeful. Finn would have to make note of that.

"I'm Miranda," the redheaded girl said, interrupting Finn's thoughts.

"I'm Bridget," the Latina girl said. "I'm on the cross country team too, so I might not be able to get to all the practices this fall."

Finn turned to the boys. "What are your names?"

"I'm Josh," the tall boy said. "I'm quarterback of the football team and point guard of the basketball team and shortstop of the baseball team, and I'm still the male lead."

"I'm Scott," the Asian boy said. "I always design our costumes for competitions."

"And I'm Mark," the last boy said. "I'm also the goalie of the soccer team and the catcher of the baseball team."

These kids were pretty busy in addition to glee club. Finn felt more pressure now for the team to do well, because if they failed, these kids would have other things to fall back on. "Okay," Finn said. "So, you guys think we have a chance at Regionals this year?"

"We always get beaten by the team from School for the Performing Arts," Caitlin complained.

"Well, not this year," Finn declared.

"Finn, you need to try out to get into that school," Caitlin sighed. "I didn't get in."

"Well, I'm going to make sure you guys make it," Finn said. "What's the glee club like here? How should I decide who gets in?"

"We'll be helping you decide," Scott said. "The seniors always help decide who gets in. In the past seniors always would, because Ms. Goulde did nothing."

"If sports don't get in the way," Bridget added.

"We can find a way to work around that," Finn said. "You guys are the seniors. This is your last year. What types of songs would you like to do?"

"Broadway," Caitlin said without batting an eye.

"Okay, we can work some Broadway songs in," Finn said. "My wife, my brother and one of my roommates go to NYADA so..."

"You're married?" Scott asked.

"Yes, but that's kind of irrelevant, don't you think?" Finn asked. "Any of you other guys have any other types of songs you want to do?"

"Country," Miranda said.

"Rock n roll," Josh said, high fiving Mark.

"Pop," Scott said.

"R&B," Bridget said.

This was a wide range of interest, and only from the seniors. "Okay, I can probably find a way for us to do songs from lots of those genres. How many people usually try out?"

"Maybe about a dozen," Mark said.

"And we'll take whoever's good enough," Caitlin said.

"All right," Finn said. "So, just tell me more about the underclass members."

x

Today Finn was visiting the school where he'd be working this year, but there was something else special about today.

Today was Finn's 20th birthday.

For the past few weeks, Rachel had been planning a surprise birthday party for him. She'd wanted to get him something special for his first birthday with them as a married couple, so she thought a party would be a nice treat.

"When do you think he'll be home?" Rachel asked. She'd asked Blaine, Sam and Artie to meet Finn at the school afterwards and keep him occupied until the apartment was ready. She'd recruited Kurt, Santana, Mercedes and Tina to help her decorate the apartment and pick up takeout.

"I got the pizza," Mercedes said, coming in with the pizza.

"Good," Rachel said.

Kurt checked the oven. "The cake's just about ready."

"Finn's going to love that," Santana said.

"I just hope he likes this," Rachel said.

"Of course he will, Berry," Santana said. "You know how much Finn loves surprises from you."

"Finn probably considers being married to you his birthday present," Tina said.

Rachel sighed. "I just wanted to give him the best birthday ever."

"He's going to consider this the best birthday ever," Kurt said, getting the cake out of the oven.

"I hope," Rachel sighed.

"Don't worry," Mercedes said. "So, what did you get your HUSBAND?"

Even though it had been a few months, Rachel couldn't help but smile when Finn was referred to as her husband. "I got him tickets to the New York Giants home opener game."

"He'll love that!" Kurt said. "How many?"

"Two," Rachel said. "One for me and one for him."

"You're willing to sit through a football game with him?" Kurt said. "That is true love."

"Yeah, I guess so," Rachel said as she hung up the balloons and streamers. "Finn's going to be pretty surprised."

"Yeah he is," Mercedes said. She picked up her phone. "I just got a text from Sam. They'll be here soon."

"Okay," Rachel said, getting excited.

x

"So, how did it go?" Sam asked Finn as the guys arrived at the school.

"Good," Finn said. "I wasn't expecting you guys."

"We thought some guy time would be fun," Blaine said. "Kurt and the girls are doing who knows what."

"I see," Finn said. "So, there's a guy who reminds me of Kurt in the glee club, and a girl who reminds me of Rachel in her early high school days."

"Really?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "They seemed pretty cool."

"That's good," Artie said. "You have a whole crew of us to help out."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I was actually thinking the nine of us here could do a number for them next week."

"They'd like that, probably," Sam said. "So, let's get back to the apartment."

"Okay," Finn said. He noticed that the guys were exchanging looks. Was everything okay?

x

Blaine and Sam came into the apartment. "How's everything coming?" Sam asked.

"I think we're ready," Rachel said, getting excited. "Where's Finn?"

"Artie told him that we should get things from the vending machine to keep him occupied," Sam said. "I'll text Artie and say that he can bring Finn up."

"Okay," Rachel said, getting excited. "Finn's going to be so surprised."

"Yeah, he is," Kurt agreed.

Finally, the door unlocked, and Finn and Artie came in. "Surprise!" everyone shouted.

"Happy Birthday, Finn!" Rachel said, running to hug her husband.

x

Finn didn't know what to say. His wife and his friends had put together a surprise party for him. "Oh my gosh!"

"Surprised?" Santana asked.

"Yeah!" Finn said. "I can't believe you guys did this."

"Of course we did," Rachel said. "We wanted to give you an extra special birthday. You finally have a 2 at the beginning of your age, just like me."

"Yeah, I guess I do," Finn laughed.

"We got some snacks for you for your birthday," Mercedes said. "I made sure we got tator tots."

Finn laughed. "I'm sure you'll like that."

Kurt held up the cake. "And we made you a cake."

Finn looked at the cake. "Wow, that looks great."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Let me give you your present." She handed Finn a wrapped box.

"Oh, I'm excited," Finn said. He opened the box and saw two tickets to the Giants' home opener. "Rachel, tickets to the home opener?"

"Yup!" Rachel said. "I thought you might want to go together."

"I'd love to go together," Finn said. "But won't you be bored?"

"No, because I'll have you with me," Rachel said.

Finn smiled and gave Rachel a big hug.

"Don't you want to see what the rest of us got you?" Kurt asked.

"Of course," Finn said.

Kurt handed Finn a wrapped box. "This is from your brother and your brother-in-law."

Finn smiled. "I'm excited to see what it is." He opened the box and saw tickets to the OSU vs. SUNY football game.

"You grew up going cheering for OSU," Blaine said. "Since they're coming to New York, we thought it would be fun to go."

"There are four tickets, for you, Blaine, Sam and Artie," Kurt said. "Unlike Rachel, I don't think I can sit through a football game."

"Thanks," Finn said. "That'll still be fun."

Sam handed Finn a wrapped gift. "This one's from me and Mercedes. It might bring back memories."

Finn opened the box and saw a new Almighty Treble Clef belt. "I made it," Mercedes announced.

"The kids in your new glee club do need to know that you're the Almighty Treble Clef," Sam said.

"I wonder what they'll think of that," Finn said.

"They'll love it," Mercedes assured Finn.

"Now open mine," Santana said.

Finn picked up Santana's gift and opened it, revealing a gift certificate to Sardi's. "You and Rachel can have a special dinner there for your birthday," Santana said.

"Oh, thanks!" Finn said.

"You know that is our restaurant," Rachel said proudly.

"Yeah, that's why I chose it," Santana said.

Tina handed her gift. "Here's mine."

Finn opened the present and saw some CDs from a concert they'd been to over the summer. "Wow, thanks!"

"We snuck those on the way out," Tina said.

Finn laughed. "Awesome. That was a fun concert."

"And now mine," Artie said, handing Finn a package.

Finn opened the package and saw a new package for their karaoke machine. "Some more songs for us to do on karaoke."

Finn smiled. "Awesome!"

"Just think, at this time next year Finn, we'll be taking you for your first legal drinks," Santana said.

"Well, you, Mercedes, Kurt and Rachel will be taking him for his first legal drinks," Artie pouted.

"Rachel's going to be the first of us to get to drink legally," Santana said. "That should be interesting."

"What do you mean by that?" Finn asked.

"I mean that it's Rachel!" Santana said.

"Hey, I like drunk Rachel," Finn admitted. "How she's all over me..."

"That's not much different from sober Rachel," Kurt teased.

"Yeah, but I still love it," Finn admitted.

"We did get sparkling cider today, since we can't have real alcohol," Rachel said, pouring everyone a glass.

"Yeah, that's the next best thing," Santana said.

Rachel held up her glass when everyone had gotten theirs poured. "To another great year in New York!"

Everyone clinked their glasses together. "Cheers!"

x

"Did you have a good birthday, Finn?" Rachel asked as they got ready for bed that night.

Finn nodded. "I did. Thanks so much for putting together a surprise party for me."

"So, how was the day with the seniors of your glee club?" Rachel asked.

"It was good," Finn said. "I think they're going to be fun to work with. There's a NYADA hopeful."

"There is?" Rachel asked. "I'd love to meet her. I could give her some pointers."

"I bet she'd like that," Finn said. "It's weird, they do kind of remind me of some of us. There's a guy who reminds me of Kurt, too."

"So, you think it'll be fun?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I think it will," Finn said.

"I can come in and help whenever you need me," Rachel said.

"I'll let you know if I ever need you," Finn said. "I can't believe this is happening. I really am director of a glee club now."

"You'll be great," Rachel said.

"And I can't believe the youngest members of the glee club at McKinley from the year I helped out are seniors now," Finn said.

"Yeah, I know," Rachel said. "It's crazy. Kylie said they're doing Fiddler On The Roof for the musical this year."

"That's a good one," Finn said. "We'll definitely have to go back for it."

"Yeah, definitely," Rachel agreed. "I think this year's going to be a good year."

"Yeah, me too," Finn said, kissing Rachel before they went to bed.

Chapter 2 preview: School starts both for the college kids and for the kids in Finn's glee club - and for New Directions back in Ohio, where Ryder, Marley, Jake and Kitty are starting their senior year! Meanwhile, Rachel is faced with a difficult decision.


	2. Chapter 2: Back to School

_Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews on the first chapter. It's definitely nice to keep the Finchel story going in my own way, especially with Season 6 coming up (I'm not happy with the spoilers we've gotten... I just want Finchel back!) But hey, at least we have fanfic to keep Finchel going! Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 2: Back To School

Rachel couldn't believe that her third year of college was starting today.

The alarm went off, and she looked at Finn, who was asleep next to her. Today was the first day at Columbia as well, and Rachel and Finn had decided to go out to breakfast together before Rachel would meet up with Kurt and Blaine to go to NYADA.

As Rachel began getting dressed, Finn snuck up behind her. "Boo!"

Rachel smiled and kissed her husband. "Morning, sexy."

"Ready for your third year of college?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, it's crazy," Rachel said. "What about you? Are you ready?"

"I think so," Finn said. "Hey, I have a favor to ask."

"You know I'm always happy to do favors for my husband," Rachel said.

"I was thinking on Friday, maybe you and the others could come to my glee club and perform for them, maybe even with them," Finn said. "Seeing people who'd won Nationals - it might give them some inspiration."

"That sounds great," Rachel said. "Ready to go to breakfast?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "I'm ready."

Hand in hand, Finn and Rachel walked to a little restaurant nearby for breakfast. "So, what are you taking again this semester?" Rachel asked.

"College Writing II, American Politics, Evolution, Issues in Evolution, Social Problems and Issues in Education," Finn said. "Honestly, I just can't wait to get the general requirements out of the way and just take education classes."

"I know what that's like," Rachel said. "I'm just glad I don't have to take any classes with Cassandra July anymore."

"Well, look who's here," a voice said as Finn and Rachel sat down. Rachel turned and saw Sebastian.

"Hello," Rachel said, trying to be polite.

"Hey," Sebastian said. "Still in New York, Finn?"

Finn smirked. "Yes I am. I made the Dean's list at Columbia last year, I'm going to be director of a glee club this year AND - " He held up his finger and then held up Rachel's. "We're married."

Sebastian looked shocked. "You went through with it?"

"Yeah," Finn said.

"So did Kurt and Blaine," Rachel said. "You'll see them at NYADA later today."

Sebastian looked even more shocked. "Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you guys around."

"Yeah, you will," Finn said before turning to Rachel. "I hope he doesn't cause trouble for you guys at NYADA."

"We won't let him," Rachel said. "Besides, I think Lucy, Jesse and Brody are cautionary tales as to what can happen when people take things too far with messing with us."

"That is true," Finn said. "We always get to the bottom of things."

"Yes we do," Rachel said.

x

"How was breakfast with Finn?" Kurt asked as Rachel arrived at NYADA and sat next to him in the roud room for the debut.

"It was good," Rachel said. "Now that school's back in session, I'm going to miss getting to spend so much time with him." She looked at Kurt and Blaine. "I'm jealous you two get to spend so much time together."

"Hey, you'll see him when you get home," Blaine said.

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"Hey guys," a voice said. Rachel turned and saw Harmony. "So, are you ready to have the best singer from McKinley glee club history at NYADA with you?"

Rachel tried to think of something to say. She'd thought Harmony had toned down a bit by the end of the year, but apparently not. "Nice to see you."

"Oh, you too," Harmony said. "Hey Rachel, what were the dorm rooms like when you lived here?"

"I didn't last very long," Rachel said. "My roommate was sleeping with the whole school..."

"Yeah, I don't like my roommate, either," Harmony said.

Before Rachel had a chance to respond, Carmen came in. "Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year debut. First year students will get the opportunity to sing publicly twice: today, and at the winter showcase, if they are selected. Let's start today off with Rachel Berry."

Rachel knew what song she was going to sing today. She'd written a song that she sang to Finn while on their honeymoon, and today, she was going to share that song at NYADA. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. I'm a junior, and today I'm going to sing a song I wrote called What Is Love." She handed the sheet music to the pianist and began singing.

_Done chasing, why you chasing?_

_Something else_

_I can't take it anymore_

_Done lying for the truth to...come out of your mouth_

_When the answers scream loud_

_You play the role_

_I play the lead_

_We strike a pose_

_I was too blind to see_

_This ain't what it seems_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_When you don't know who you lying next to, to you anymore_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_You don't know what love is till you love somebody, bad enough_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love? Love...to you_

_It's madness, like an earthquake_

_They chase your soul_

_Then you're left with all destruction_

_You're frozen and you don't change_

_Who's gonna save us now?_

_Cause I can't stay this way for long_

_You play the role_

_I play the lead_

_We strike a pose_

_I was too blind to see_

_This ain't what it seems_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_When you don't know who you lying next to, to you anymore_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_You don't know what love is till you love somebody, bad enough_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love? Love...to you_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love?_

_What is love? Love...to you_

At the end of the song, Kurt and Blaine were both clapping on their feet. Rachel looked at Carmen. "Good job," Carmen said simply.

Rachel smiled as she went back to sit with Kurt, Blaine and Harmony. "I bet Finn would like that," Kurt said.

"He loved it," Rachel said. "I sang it to him on our honeymoon."

"Awww," Blaine said.

The debut songs were great. Kurt performed Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and Blaine performed No Time At All. Harmony performed Gimme Gimme, and Rachel had to admit, this girl was pretty good. The final person to perform was Sebastian. He sang One Direction's Best Song Ever, and neither Kurt nor Blaine looked happy to see him here.

"Why did they take him?" Kurt hissed.

"He's sexy," Harmony whispered.

"He's gay," Blaine whispered back.

Carmen dismissed the students, and Kurt dragged Rachel and Blaine out of the roundroom, clearly hoping to avoid Sebastian.

x

Today was Finn's first official day with the new glee club.

Today, auditions were going to be held, and he had to admit, he was nervous. Luckily, he had some help.

All eight of the other alumni living in New York had come along to help with auditions and perform a number they'd put together for the kids. Luckily, nobody had to work today and everyone was done with classes by the time it was time to start rehearsals.

"Are you excited?" Rachel asked Finn as they waited for the students to arrive.

"Yeah," Finn said. He was excited.

"You should do a musical with them this year, Finn," Artie said. "I can help direct it."

"I'd like that," Finn said. Why hadn't he thought of that?

The door opened, and the kids Finn had met the other day came in. "Wow Frankenteen, that one's even taller than you," Santana said.

"Yeah," Finn said.

A girl Finn didn't recognize came up to him. "So, you're the new director?"

"Yeah," Finn said.

"I'm joining the glee club," the girl said.

"You have to audition first," Caitlin interrupted.

"But I'm awesome!" the girl said. "I don't even need to audition."

"Look," Caitlin said, approaching the girl. "We are going to Nationals this year. Finn's said he's going to turn this group around and we need to see if you're good enough."

"Finn's right," Finn heard Kurt whisper to Rachel. "She's exactly like you in the old days."

Finn knew he had to be in control. "Okay, okay. You can audition. Let's wait until everyone else gets here."

More kids began arriving - but to Finn's disappointment, only one other prespective new member arrived. There were fifteen kids in the glee club already, but only two in the whole school were thinking to audition?

"All right," Finn said. "So, for those of you who don't know, I'm Finn Hudson. I'm a sophomore at Columbia and I'll be your director this year. I have lots of great ideas for this year and I'm sure we're going to go to Nationals..."

The door opened and three boys and a girl came in. "Hi," the girl said. "We'd actually like to audition."

"Okay, great," Finn said. "So, first of all, I brought some friends along with me today. This is my wife Rachel, my brother Kurt, my brother-in-law Blaine, and my friends Sam, Artie, Tina, Mercedes and Santana. The nine of us were in glee club together in high school and when I was a senior, we won the National championship. They're going to be coming to help me from time to time, and we put together a number for you guys today to show you what we can do. Before we start though, let's see some auditions."

The three boys (their names were Andy, Paul and Garrett) and their female friend (her name was Rebecca) auditioned first, performing Boys Like Girls' Two Is Better Than One. The other girl, named Eva, who'd come in quietly performed Somewhere Over The Rainbow, and then the girl who thought she was too good to audition introduced herself as Ariana and performed last.

And she had one of the worst voices Finn had ever heard.

This girl... Finn didn't even know what to think of her. She was singing Katy Perry's Roar, and her voice was squaky, her tone was off... Finn had never heard anything like this.

However, he couldn't turn her down. He'd let in the other kids who tried out... but they'd been good. Still, he couldn't just leave one person who tried out in the no pile. At the end of the song, Finn forced a smile. "You're in."

Caitlin jumped up. "Finn, she's not good!"

Rachel stood up. "Don't underestimate Finn. He can make her good."

"Really?" Caitlin asked. "Because I don't want to finish high school without a Sectional title."

"Finn is going to lead you guys to a Sectional title," Rachel said. "He's not only going to lead you to a Sectional title, but a Regional title, and a trip to Seattle for Nationals."

"Really?" asked a boy named Kevin. "Well, if you guys are so good, show us what you can do."

"Okay," Finn said. He got out his drum sticks, Sam and Artie got their guitars, and Kurt sat at the piano so they could perform the number they'd prepared.

_Rachel: I was left to my own devices_

_Many days fell away with nothing to show_

_Kurt: And the walls kept tumbling down_

_In the city that we love_

_Great clouds roll over the hills_

_Bringing darkness from above_

_New Directions alumni: But if you close your eyes,_

_Does it almost feel like_

_Nothing changed at all?_

_And if you close your eyes,_

_Does it almost feel like_

_You've been here before?_

_Artie: How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

_How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

_Mercedes: We were caught up and lost in all of our vices_

_In your pose as the dust settled around us_

_Sam: And the walls kept tumbling down_

_In the city that we love_

_Great clouds roll over the hills_

_Bringing darkness from above_

_Finn: But if you close your eyes,_

_Does it almost feel like_

_Nothing changed at all?_

_And if you close your eyes,_

_Does it almost feel like_

_You've been here before?_

_Blaine: How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

_How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

_Eh-eh-o eh-o _

_Rachel: Oh where do we begin?_

_The rubble or our sins?_

_Kurt and Blaine: Oh oh where do we begin?_

_The rubble or our sins?_

_New Directions alumni: And the walls kept tumbling down (Tina: oh where do we begin?)_

_In the city that we love (Santana: the rubble or our sins?)_

_Great clouds roll over the hills (Tina: oh where do we begin?)_

_Bringing darkness from above (Santana: the rubble or our sins?)_

_Finn and Rachel: But if you close your eyes,_

_Does it almost feel like_

_Nothing changed at all?_

_And if you close your eyes,_

_Does it almost feel like_

_You've been here before?_

_How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

_How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

_New Directions alumni: If you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?_

_Eh-eh-o eh-o_

The high school kids clapped at the end of the number, and Finn looked at them. "It's been years since we were out of high school, and we can still sound like that together. You guys can sound like that, too." He wasn't sure though. These kids didn't seem to have the confidence, and except for Caitlin, none of them seemed to want it that badly.

"Well, when's our first performance going to be?" a boy named George asked.

They wanted to perform already? Finn wanted to get an idea of whose voices sounded good with whose before they started performing publicly. Now he felt like he'd disappointed them. "I'd really like to get to know you guys first," Finn said. "But a performance is a good idea... maybe it could help us get some new members..."

"Yeah," Caitlin said. "The club that always wins Sectionals has like 50 members."

Fifty members? Could Finn even manage fifty members? "Well, we only had sixteen when we won Nationals," Finn told the group. "No matter what, I'm sure we'll do well. How about we all do a song together now? We do have some first rate people to sing with."

x

"You were really good with the kids today," Rachel told Finn as they got ready for bed.

"You thought so?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"It's just... do you think I can do it?" Finn asked.

"I know you can," Rachel said.

"Well, that one girl... she's completely tone deaf," Finn admitted. "And Caitlin... she's such a diva."

"Hey, you got me to stop being such a diva," Rachel reminded Finn. "She's going to be a team player by the end of the year."

"You think?" Finn asked.

"I know," Rachel said. Before they had a chance to continue their conversation, Rachel's phone rang. She looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Rupert. "Hello?"

"Rachel, this is Rupert," Rupert said.

"Hi," Rachel said. She knew who this was.

"Listen," Rupert said. "I just got a call from Broadway executives - and they want a Funny Girl tour."

A tour? Wow, so they were going to do a few shows out of town? "Wow, that's awesome," Rachel said. "When's it going to be?"

"Well, it would be starting soon," Rupert said. "And I was wondering if maybe you'd want to play Fanny in the tour."

So she would be taking a break from being the understudy and have the opportunity to play Fanny full time for a little while? "Wow, that sounds great. How long is the tour going to be?"

"About two years," Rupert said.

Two years.

Now Rachel needed to think about that. If the tour was a few weeks, she'd do it for sure. But two years? She was still in school. She wanted to focus on her education. And she was newly married. She didn't want to get married and then disappear for two years right away.

But this was her dream role. Even if Marissa left the main production, there was no guarantee that Rachel would be the one to take over the part. If Rachel decided to join the tour, she'd be able to sing these songs she'd been singing since childhood her whole life.

Still, she wanted to finish her education up. If she went on the tour, she'd have to reapply to NYADA, and leaving wasn't going to look good. And she'd just gotten married and wanted some time to be home with Finn.

"Can I have some time to think?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Rupert said. "Just let me know."

Rachel hung up the phone. She would need some time to think.

x

A new era was starting at McKinley High as well.

This would be the first year that New Directions would be run by a new director - and nobody knew who it was. Mr. Schue was out in LA with his wife and son, working with the glee club at the high school there. Ryder, Marley, Kitty and Jake sat in the choir room, waiting for the new director to arrive. "It's too bad we can't have Finn again," Ryder said.

"Yeah," Marley agreed. "I just hope they got us someone good."

Jack and Kylie came into the choir room. "They found someone quickly... I guess that's a good thing," Kylie said.

"Yeah, but we don't know who it is," Kitty complained.

"Hopefully somebody good," Jake said as the sophomores came in.

"Still no director," Jack told the remaining members of the glee club.

"Well, it's a strike against them that we're all here before they are," Kitty said.

"Hey, no matter who it is, we'll manage," Ryder said. "We can find new members. The four of us had to find you guys last year."

"Have you heard from Rachel lately?" Marley asked Kylie. "How's Finn doing with the glee club in New York?"

"It's an adjustment, I guess," Kylie said. "He didn't know these kids beforehand and it's his first time working with a group completely on his own, but Rachel thinks he's doing well."

"That's good," Ryder said. "I'll have to call Finn sometime soon."

The door opened, and two blond women walked in. "Hola classe!" the taller woman said.

The group exchanged looks. They'd seen these women before - but where? "Hi," Ryder said. "I'm Ryder Lynn, the male lead and co-captain."

"And I'm Marley Rose, the female lead and co-captain of the New Directions," Marley said. "May we help you?"

"You sure can," the shorter woman said. "I'm April Rhodes, and this is Holly Holiday. We're your new directors."

x

"Really?" Kurt asked as the New Yorkers were eating dinner at the three bedroom apartment. "April Rhodes and Holly Holiday?"

"That's what Kylie said," Rachel said.

"I just hope April doesn't give them any alcohol," Tina said.

The group laughed. "Well, at least they found someone," Sam said. "It'll be weird if Finn's glee club, Mr. Schue's glee club and the New Directions all face off at Nationals."

"You mean WHEN," Finn said. He knew he was going to have to be confident, so he might as well practice it at home.

"Yeah, when," Rachel said, putting her arm around Finn.

"I appreciate you guys coming in with me today," Finn said. "It's different, working with kids I don't know."

"Hey, everyone has to start somewhere," Blaine said.

"And those kids really seem to like you," Sam added.

"I hope they do," Finn said. It was normal to be uneasy at first, at least he thought so. And he was going to do what he could to get those kids to Seattle for Nationals.

_Chapter 3 preview: Rachel talks to Finn about the possibility of going on tour. Finn's glee club has their first public performance, and Finn turns to a familiar face for advice on running a glee club. Someone tries to move into the New York apartment._

_SONGS: What Is Love by Lea Michele and Pompeii by Bastille_

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 3!_


	3. Chapter 3: Tour Or No Tour?

_Hey everyone! Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. I know I did :) Thanks for all your support of the last chapter. I appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 3: Tour or No Tour?

"Rachel?"

Rachel looked up and saw Rupert. "Have you given the tour any more thought?" Rupert asked.

Rachel sighed. She wanted to do the tour, but at the same time, she didn't want to. "I'm thinking about it."

"Well, let me kno by the end of next week," Rupert said. "Because if you don't want to do it, I'm going to need to open auditions."

"Okay," Rachel said. She sat down with the other understudies to watch the main cast perform.

"So, that was about tour?" Jean Baptiste asked Rachel.

"Yeah," Rachel said.

"He asked me about playing Nick," Jean said. "I don't think I can right now. I'm in school and I just want to mostly focus on that."

"Yeah, that's what my thing is," Rachel said. "I like the idea of tour, but I want to finish up my degree, and I just got married, so I do want some time to be with Finn."

"I get that," Taylor said. "Rupert asked me if I'd be interested, too, but I wouldn't want to go on tour. My family's here in New York and I just started going out with someone."

Both understudies Rachel was closest to were having similar thoughts and ultimately decided against it. Maybe that should have told Rachel something. "I'll give it some more thought."

"There will be other opportunities," Taylor reminded Rachel. "If you want to finish up your degree and be with Finn, I'm sure you'll get another opportunity to be on a tour in the future."

x

Rachel got home from rehearsal and saw Kurt, Santana, Mercedes and Tina watching Dancing With The Stars. She greeted her friends before going into her and Finn's bedroom, where Finn was doing homework. "Hey," she greeted Finn, giving him a kiss.

Finn looked up from his homework. "Hey. What's up?"

Rachel decided that now would be a good time to talk to Finn about the call from Rupert. "My director called."

Finn nodded. "What's up?"

"Funny Girl's going on tour," Rachel said.

Finn looked up. "Wow... that's amazing."

Rachel gulped. She might as well give Finn more details. "It would mean me going away for a while."

Finn looked confused now. "For how long?"

Rachel sighed. "Two years."

Finn put his face in his hands. "Oh, Rachel... I don't want you to be gone that long... but this could be a big opportunity for you."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"You should probably do it," Finn said, looking a bit sad.

"But Finn... I'd probably only see you every few months if I did it," Rachel told her husband.

"I know," Finn said. "But Fanny's your dream role, right?"

"Right," Rachel said.

"You've always wanted to be the star of a Broadway show," Finn said. "This is going to be off tour but it's still a Broadway show."

Rachel could see Finn looked sad. "Finn, if you don't want me to go, I won't go."

"I'd miss you," Finn said. "But we can talk on the phone every day and Skype and whatnot."

"Well..." Rachel began. She still wasn't sure. She was newly married and she wanted to be with her husband. She wanted to get her degree.

Finn's phone went off. "That's my reminder. I have to get to the diner. I'll see you when I get home, okay?" He gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek and then left.

Rachel sighed as she watched Finn leave, then went into the living room to join Kurt and the girls. "Finally, you're here!" Kurt said.

"Mike's going to be a pro dancer on this show one day," Tina said. "I know it."

Rachel smiled to herself.

"What's eating at you, Berry?" Santana asked.

"I was asked to go on tour," Rachel said. "As Fanny Brice, with Funny Girl."

"For someone who's gotten a big offer, you don't look very happy," Mercedes commented.

"I don't know if I am," Rachel said. "It would be for two years."

"Two years?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I just... I don't know. I want to finish up my degree. NYADA's REALLY hard to get into. I almost didn't get in once. If I left after how hard I worked to get in, I doubt they'd take me back."

"They didn't take me the first time, and I got a second chance," Kurt said.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "But you didn't mess up your first audition like I did."

"What does Finn say about the situation?" Mercedes asked.

"He thinks I should do it because it's a good opportunity," Rachel said. "But I really don't know. There's a difference between dating and being married. I don't want to be away from my husband for two years."

"Finn thinks you should do it though, right?" Santana asked.

"He does," Rachel said.

"Well... if he thinks you can handle being away from each other for two years, maybe you should give the tour a shot," Mercedes suggested.

Rachel didn't know if that was a good idea. She turned to Kurt, the only other person with a husband rather than a boyfriend or girlfriend. "What if Vogue wanted you to leave Blaine for two years?"

"Well... I'd see if he could come with me," Kurt said.

"Maybe Finn could go on tour with you," Tina said.

"No," Rachel thought out loud. "I'm not making Finn change his whole life for me. He just got a job directing a glee club. He's at an Ivy League school and those are really hard to get into once, let alone twice. He's really happy here, too."

"Have you talked to anyone else at the show?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I talked to Jean and Taylor. Neither of them want to go on tour for similar reasons."

"Well, maybe now isn't the time," Santana said.

Rachel nodded. She knew that she eventually wanted to play Fanny Brice, but if she had this many hesitations now, then maybe now she shouldn't.

Rachel's phone went off with a text from Shelby. "Can you maybe come over a little earlier tomorrow?" the text read. Since Shelby was having chemo tomorrow, Rachel would be going over to help out with Beth.

Rachel replied to the text. "Sure." Maybe Shelby would be a good person to talk to. After all, she'd been in similar situations with Broadway and her career.

x

Finn arrived home after a longer day at the school. He'd had the glee club do a few songs in practice, and so far he was happy with how things looked, but he'd gotten word from the school principal: the school wanted the glee club to perform at the assembly next week.

After hearing that, Finn felt his nerves building up. Sure, he'd thought the glee club sounded good when they practiced in the choir room, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for them to perform yet. It was clear from their practices that their old director hadn't been much of a director and that competition setlists had been thrown together. However, they'd told Finn that this year, they wanted to win and they were going to work hard to win. That was something, right?

Finn thought back to the first time he performed with the New Directions. He remembered how nervous he was. He also remembered the inappropriate song that Rachel had selected for them to perform. He knew he didn't want his kids performing a song like that. He got out his phone and dialed Mr. Schuester's number. Who better than to give him advice than the person who'd inspired him to become a teacher and glee club director in the first place?

Mr. Schue picked up his phone right away. "Finn!"

"Hey, Will," Finn said, still getting used to calling his teacher by his first name. "How's LA?"

"LA's very warm," Mr. Schuester said. "It's beautiful out here."

"Well, I'm glad you guys are doing well," Finn said. "How are Emma and Daniel?"

"Daniel's great, he's crawling," Mr. Schue said. "Emma and I are looking forward to the birth of child number two."

"I bet," Finn said. "Though I doubt this kid can have godparents as awesome as Daniel's."

Mr. Schue laughed. "So, how are you?"

"I'm great," Finn said. "I was actually calling you because the school wants me to have the glee club perform at an assembly next week and I'm trying to figure out what song for them to sing."

"Finn, do you remember what song you originally were going to do at the assembly before Rachel went behind my back?" Mr. Schue asked.

Finn laughed to himself at Rachel's rebellion. "Yeah. You wanted us to do that disco song you sung at Nationals when you were in high school."

"Yeah," Mr. Schue said. "I know that disco's gone out, but I wanted you guys to do that song because it was special to me. It was a song that I had special connections with."

Finn began thinking. "So you think I should have them do a song that I have a special connection to?"

"Yeah," Mr. Schue said. "That would be a perfect way for you to begin your teaching career."

"I'll think about that," Finn said. "Thanks, Mr. Schue."

"How's it going?" Mr. Schue asked.

"It's going well," Finn said. "Sometimes it can be tough though. This is the first time I've been the leader of a glee club where I didn't already know the kids and I'm not much older than they are..."

"Finn, you're perfect for this job," Mr. Schue said. "I saw how good you were with the kids at McKinley. These kids are so lucky to have you."

"Thanks," Finn said softly. "So, how's your new glee club?"

"It's been an adjustment," Mr. Schue said. "This group isn't New Directions."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"They don't have the special bond that New Directions have," Mr. Schue admitted. "It's about winning here at this school, not just with the choir, but with everything. I do miss New Directions."

"I bet," Finn said. "Kylie told Rachel that April and Holly are the new directors."

"They told me," Mr. Schue said. "I'm sure they'll be good at it. April was on Broadway with Crossrhodes, and Holly's really good with the kids."

"That's true," Finn said.

"Finn, I hear Daniel's up from his nap, and Emma's out shopping now, so I've got to get to him," Mr. Schue said. "We'll need to talk again soon, okay?"

"Yeah, definitely," Finn said. He hung up the phone and thought for a few minutes. Then the perfect song came to mind.

x

"Thanks for coming over," Shelby said to Rachel as Rachel finished cooking dinner. "So, how've you been?"

"I've been fine," Rachel said. "Now that school's back in session I'm busier than ever."

"I bet," Shelby said. "How's it feel to be an upperclassman?"

"It feels so weird," Rachel admitted.

"I'm sure it does," Shelby said. "At this time next year, you'll be a senior in college, Kylie's going to be a senior in high school and Beth will be in kindergarten."

"That is true," Rachel said. "I remember when Quinn was pregnant with Beth."

"Yeah, me too," Shelby said. "I remember I was worried it was too late for us and you told me that Quinn had a baby... and then I went to the hospital and talked to them about adopting Beth."

"I'm glad this is where Beth ended up," Rachel told Shelby. "I remember at first she was going to go to Mr. Schue and his crazy ex-wife. Mr. Schue's a great dad, but his ex wife... she was just... nuts."

"I never met her, but I've heard about her," Shelby said. "I actually talked to him on the phone the other day."

"Oh, how is he?" Rachel asked.

"He's doing great," Shelby said. "Little Daniel is adorable, isn't he?"

"He is," Rachel agreed. "And they have another little one on the way."

"I'm so happy for them," Shelby said.

"Me too," Rachel said. She decided she'd tell Shelby about the tour offer. "So, Funny Girl's going on tour."

"Tour?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "They want me to play Fanny on the tour."

"What do you want to do?" Shelby asked.

"I'm not really sure," Rachel admitted. "It's just... I'm still in school, and I just got married..."

"What does Finn think you should do?" Shelby asked.

"He said that it's a big opportunity for me," Rachel said. "It is, but the timing feels wrong..."

"Well, Rachel, let me tell you something," Shelby said. "I chose my career over family for the longest time and I was unhappy for the longest time. I ended up being able to adopt Beth and reconnect with you and Kylie, but that might not have happened."

"Finn says to go on tour, but I can tell he doesn't want me to be gone for two years," Rachel admitted.

"Remember, you live in New York," Shelby said. "There's going to be lots of Broadway productions for you to be in."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I'll give it some more thought, but I am leaning toward not going."

x

Finn had done some thinking and he had come up with the perfect song for the glee club to perform. When he arrived, he couldn't wait to tell them. "So, Finn, have you picked out a song for the assembly yet?" Josh asked as Finn arrived.

"I have," Finn said. "It's a song that's very special to me."

"Tell us about it then," Caitlin said.

"This was the first song I ever organized the glee club I was in during high school in performing," Finn said. "This song really helped us find our confidence and grow into our own. It was also the first song my wife and I sang together that we actually got to finish."

"Awwww," Caitlin said. "So what's the song?"

Finn smiled at the kids. "Don't Stop Believing by Journey."

x

A few days later, it was time for the big debut of Finn's glee club. The group had voted to call themselves Choral Inspiration last week, and as Finn listened to them perform, he was pretty confident in the pairs he'd chosen to sing together and the group he'd gotten lined up. This year was probably going to be a great year.

_Josh: Just a small town girl  
>Livin' in a lonely world<br>She took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

_Caitlin: Just a city boy  
>Born and raised in south Detroit<br>He took the midnight train goin' anywhere_

_Josh: A singer in a smoky room  
>Caitlin: A smell of wine and cheap perfume<br>Josh and Caitlin: For a smile they can share the night  
>It goes on and on and on and on<em>

_Mark and Bridget: Strangers waiting  
>Up and down the boulevard<br>Their shadows searching in the night  
>Scott and Miranda: Streetlights people<br>Living just to find emotion  
>Hiding somewhere in the night<em>

_Caitlin: Working hard to get my fill  
>Everybody wants a thrill<br>Caitlin and Josh: Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time_

_Rebecca: Some will win, some will lose  
>Some were born to sing the blues<br>Andy: Oh, the movie never ends  
>It goes on and on and on and on<em>

_Paul and Eva: Strangers waiting  
>Up and down the boulevard<br>Garrett and Heather: Their shadows searching in the night  
>Choral Inspiration: Streetlight people<br>Living just to find emotion  
>Hiding somewhere in the night<em>

_Don't stop believin'  
>Hold on to that feelin'<br>Streetlights people_

_Don't stop believin'  
>Hold on to that feelin'<br>Streetlights people_

_Don't stop believin'  
>Hold on to that feelin'<br>Streetlights people  
>Don't stop!<em>

"Great job, you guys!" Finn said as the group came backstage. "I think you're going to do a great job this season."

"Yes you are!" a familiar voice said. Finn turned and saw Rachel coming in.

"Rachel!" Finn exclaimed. "You're here!"

"I couldn't miss your glee club's first performance," Rachel said.

Finn smiled. "Thanks so much for coming."

"So how were we?" Caitlin asked.

"Finn said you were good, didn't he?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, but you're on Broadway," Caitlin said.

"I thought you guys were fantastic," Rachel said.

"See?" Josh said to Caitlin. "Now do you believe we were good?"

"Oh, I know we were good!" Caitlin said.

x

"It means a lot to me that you came tonight," Finn said to Rachel as they walked home.

"Of course I came," Rachel said. "The kids sounded really good."

"Thanks," Finn said. "I'm really going to miss you if you go on tour." He figured he might as well say it.

"Finn, I didn't say that I'm going on tour," Rachel said.

"But you should," Finn said. "It's such a big opportunity for you." He didn't want her to go, but he was worried she'd resent him if she told him that. He thought back to his conversation about the situation with Blaine, Sam and Artie earlier.

x

"Rachel's been invited to go on tour with Funny Girl," Finn told the guys as they played xbox.

"For someone whose wife was just given a big career opportunity, you don't sound very happy," Artie said.

"It's not that..." Finn said. These were his friends. He could tell them how he felt. "Is it bad that I don't want her to be gone for two years?"

"Two years is a long time," Sam said.

"Yeah, exactly," Finn said. "I'm proud of her, but I wish she'd instead just stay here. I'm sure she'll eventually be promoted to the main role on Broadway." He sighed and looked at his friends. "I know I sound selfish."

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Blaine said. "If Kurt was leaving for two years, I probably wouldn't like the idea of that, either."

"Yeah, since you're married too, you know what it's like," Finn said. "Don't you just want to be around him all the time?"

"Yeah," Blaine admitted.

"Long distance isn't easy," Artie said. "Kitty and I are managing, but I miss her so much. I just keep telling myself she'll be here in a year and we call and skype each other every day."

"Do you wish she were here?" Finn asked.

"Of course," Artie said. "I take every opportunity to see her."

"Finn, you should really talk to Rachel about how you feel," Sam said. "Mercedes told me Rachel's hesitant about going on tour because she'd miss you and she wants to finish her degree."

x

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked Finn.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Finn said. "Are you excited for all of us to have dinner together today?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I always love it when we do that."

"Me too," Finn said as they arrived at the apartment. They went inside, where the other New Yorkers were already waiting. "Finn's glee club sounded amazing today!" Rachel declared.

"That's great," Kurt said.

"I have a video if you guys want to see," Rachel said.

"A video?" Finn asked, feeling himself starting to blush. Rachel would do something like that.

"Yes, a video!" Rachel said, getting out her camera and connecting it to the TV. As the group sat in front of the TV, they heard a knock on the door and Rachel went to answer it. Finn turned and saw Harmony on the other end. "Hey," Rachel said. "What are you doing here?"

Harmony came into the apartment. Rachel noticed that she had a suitcase. "I got your address from Unique," Harmony said. "I'm moving in."

_Chapter 4 preview: What will Finchel, Klaine and Santana think of Harmony inviting herself into the apartment? Rachel decides what to do about tour - but will there be tension between her and Finn about it?_

_SONG: Don't Stop Believing by Journey_

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 4!_


	4. Chapter 4: The First Fight

_Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I appreciate them so much. To explain the duet in this chapter, it's a split screen duet, like some of the ones we've had on the real show. The song Finchel sing is a song lots of other Finchel fans have said they wanted for them, so I figured I'd use it! Thanks again for the support and review if you want me to keep going!_

Chapter 4: The First Fight

"I'm moving in."

The group looked at each other, then at the girl who they barely knew who'd invited herself into their apartment. "You can't just walk in and tell us that you're moving in!" Kurt said.

"Yeah," Blaine added. "All our bedrooms are already taken, and don't you live in the dorms?"

"They kicked me out," Harmony said. "My roommate was practicing the song I wanted to sing for the winter showcase and said she wanted to sing it in the winter showcase, so I did that stick her hand in warm water and make her think she's wet the bed trick. She was a baby and complained to the RA, and they kicked me out of the dorms."

"Hey, Rachel and I almost did that trick to Lady Hummel once," Santana said.

Kurt looked horrified. "You did?"

"Hey, we didn't," Rachel said. She looked at Harmony. "So, if you did that to your roommate, who's to say you won't do that to one of us?"

"She has a point," Sam said. "Rachel's a Broadway understudy. Don't you want to be on Broadway?"

"Oh, I don't want to be an understudy," Harmony said. "I want the part. So there's no hard feelings between you and me, Rachel."

"Okay," Rachel said, still uneasy.

Harmony looked around. "You guys have a really nice apartment. So, where's my room?"

Santana walked toward Harmony. "You heard me. All the bedrooms were taken. Both married couples have one, and then I have the other. The two bedroom apartment down the hall has the guys in one and the girls in the other, before you ask."

"Well, if the bedrooms are big enough for everyone else to share, I can move into yours," Harmony told Santana.

Santana looked annoyed. Rachel tried to think fast. "Well, have you talked to your parents?"

"Not yet," Harmony said. "Now that I'm here, I can just tell them I decided to move out. Since I left within 30 days, I get a refund."

Rachel sighed. "Well..."

"Maybe we could try it for a few weeks," Blaine suggested.

"Yeah," Finn said. "A few weeks."

"But you're not moving into my room," Santana said.

"Well, I'm glad you're decent people," Harmony said. "You can't just throw an innocent girl on the street."

"This is temporary though," Kurt said. "We'll let you stay with us while you look for a place of your own."

"Okay," Harmony said. "But you'll want to keep me here for good, I know it." She sat down on the couch. "This couch seems comfortable to sleep on." She then looked at the TV. "Oh, nice TV."

"Our apartment is open if you guys need a break," Sam said.

x

"So, what do you think it'll be like having that girl here?" Finn asked Rachel as they got ready for bed.

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know. Like she said, you can't just throw an innocent girl on the street."

"Yeah, I guess she's right," Finn said.

Rachel's computer started to go off with a Skype notification. "Oh, it's Kylie."

"Oh, awesome!" Finn said. "Mind if I say hi? Maybe she'll have an update on New Directions."

"Of course," Rachel said. She turned on the Skype. "Hey!"

"Hey," Kylie said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?" Rachel asked.

"Junior year is so much harder than underclass years," Kylie sighed. "Pre calculus, physics, AP French... the homework load is piling up."

Rachel sighed. "I remember it was tough for me too, but remember, less than two years before you can join me in New York."

"I look forward to that," Kylie said. "So, how's New York?"

"New York's been good," Rachel said. "The homework is pretty heavy for me too, between homework, rehearsals, the diner and married life, I don't get much time to breathe, but I'm happy."

"Well, that's what matters," Kylie said. "Our mom said you were over there the other day."

"Yeah, I was," Rachel said. "She'll be finishing this cycle of chemo soon so hopefully by then she'll be in remission."

"I hope so, too," Kylie said. "I'm hopefully going to come to New York Columbus Day weekend."

"I'd love to see you," Rachel said. "Finn actually wanted to say hi."

Finn took a seat next to Rachel. "Hi Kylie!"  
>"Hi Finn," Kylie said. "How are you?"<p>

"I'm doing great," Finn said. "Directing the glee club in New York has been fun."

"They had a really great performance today," Rachel said.

Finn smiled at how proud Rachel was of him. "Yeah, they did perform today. How's New Directions?"

"Well, April and Holly are definitely different from Mr. Schue," Kylie said. "Mr. Schue was a lot calmer and April and Holly are really crazy, but they have good ideas, and I like what we've done so far."

"That's good," Finn said, glad to hear that the glee club was doing well.

"So, any new members yet?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, Puck's sister joined, Sara," Kylie said. "She's a freshman. And we had three other freshmen join, so the club does have some underclassmen."

"I'm glad," Finn said. "I've talked to Mr. Schue, and he's doing well, but he misses you guys."

"Well, next time you talk to him, you can tell him we miss him," Kylie said. "So, Rachel, decided what you'll do about tour yet?"

Tour. That was a sore subject for Finn. He knew it was a huge opportunity for Rachel but he really, really didn't want her to go. Finn couldn't really hear what Rachel and Kylie were saying as he thought about the whole tour situation. Eventually, Rachel hung up the call and turned to Finn. "Finn... I've been thinking about tour..."

"Okay," Finn said.

"I think I want to do it," Rachel said.

She wanted to do it? Crap. Finn had been saying that he thought it was a good idea, but maybe now he should be honest. "Don't."

Rachel looked surprised. "What?"

"Don't go on tour, Rachel," Finn repeated. He did feel a bit relieved to finally say it.

Rachel looked surprised. "Finn... I thought you wanted me to go."

"I only said that because I wanted to be supportive," Finn said. "Don't go."

Rachel looked upset. "You don't want me to go?"

"No," Finn said. "And I think it would be really selfish of you to ditch me for a tour for two years."

Rachel looked shocked. Finn realized that was probably the wrong word choice. "You know Finn, I was considering not going because I was worried I'd miss you -but you think I'm selfish?"

"Well, wanting to run off on a tour for two years is selfish," Finn said. "We just started our lives together."

Rachel looked sad. "Well..."

"Fine, if you want, go on the tour, Rachel!" Finn snapped. "At least then you'll get the spotlight you want."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"You know what I mean," Finn said. "Maybe your life would be better if you hadn't married a joke like me."

Rachel paused. "Well, I need to go."

"Go where?" Finn asked.

"Since you said to go on the tour, I'll go," Rachel snapped. "Clearly you're mad at me and maybe some time away from me will be good."

Finn felt like the biggest idiot ever. "Rachel..."

"Just... don't say anything," Rachel said. She picked up a bag and began putting some clothes in it.

"Where are you going?" Finn asked.

"It doesn't matter!" Rachel snapped. She left the apartment, leaving Finn there alone.

x

Rachel started crying as she left the apartment building. She couldn't believe that Finn had called her selfish. Why couldn't he see that this was a big opportunity for her?

She didn't know where everyone else was. Maybe they'd gone out to dinner or something. Even Harmony wasn't in the apartment, but her things were still ther.

Rachel tried to think of where to go. Her dads were back in Lima. If she went to the two bedroom apartment, she might say something to her other friends, and she didn't want to get them involved. Shelby had told her that this might cause tension between her and Finn, so going to Shelby's might not be a good idea.

Rachel sighed as she arrived at a hotel. This would have to do.

x

Finn couldn't believe what an idiot he'd been. Yelling at Rachel and calling her names... he never did that. And he and Rachel never got into fights, except about petty things like what to have for dinner or whether not Finn was keeping their room clean enough.

He understood why Rachel wanted to go on the tour. If he was on a show, he'd probably want to go on tour too. Still, he didn't like that she'd walked out. Why had she walked out? Why didn't she talk to him?

When Finn had talked to his friends about the possibility of going on tour, they told him to tell her calmly about why he didn't want her to go on tour. That would have been better than getting mad at her. Maybe if he'd done that, she wouldn't have walked out.

Finn heard the door open. He hoped it was Rachel. But when he heard some loud singing, he knew who it really was. Rachel had suggested Harmony stay with them for a few weeks and Finn already thought this was a bad idea.

He sat in his room for a while, thinking about his conversation with Rachel. He felt so bad and just wanted to apologize, but since she'd walked out, maybe he should let her apologize and come to him first.

Some time passed and Finn heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he mumbled.

Kurt and Blaine came in. "That Harmony girl is insane," Kurt snapped.

"She's going through our cupboards and critiquing all our food," Blaine added.

"Thanks to me, we have just about every food possible," Finn said.

"What's wrong, Finn?" Kurt asked. "You look upset."

"Rachel and I got into a really big fight," Finn admitted.

"What?" Blaine asked. "What was it about?"

"Rachel said she wanted to go on tour, and I freaked out," Finn said. "I yelled at her and called her some names... and then she walked out."

"Oh no," Kurt said.

"I feel horrible," Finn said. "I love Rachel so much... and I want her to be happy..."

"Of course you do," Blaine said.

"I don't even know where she is," Finn admitted.

"Why don't you try calling her?" Kurt asked.

"It's just... I don't know if she'd answer," Finn admitted. "I feel terrible."

x

Rachel sat in the hotel room. She was reminded of the dream she had last year about what her life would have been like if she'd stayed the girl she was at the beginning of high school. The girl who would lose it when anyone other than her got a solo and alienated others with her attitude. Back then, her life revolved around Broadway and her ambitions. Sure, the girl back then might have gotten the lead role on Broadway and would have taken the opportunity to go on tour without question.

But Rachel Hudson of today would always choose her husband over Broadway. And she felt horrible for how angry she got at him and for walking out. She'd made this reservation in the hotel for tonight, so she was going to use tonight to cool down. She turned on her iPod and began listening to it. A Queen song came up. Queen songs reminded her of Finn since they'd sang so many together. And as she began singing along to this one, the lyrics reminded her of her and Finn.

_Rachel: Ooh, you make me live  
>Whatever this world can give to me<br>It's you, you're all I see  
>Ooh, you make me live now honey<br>Ooh, you make me live_

x

Finn had asked for time to himself. Kurt and Blaine were in their room, and Santana was at Dani's. Harmony was in the living room, singing at the top of her lungs. To block out Harmony's singing and to get his mind off things, Finn turned on his iPod and began singing along to the first song that came on.

_Finn: __You're the best friend__  
><em>_That I ever had__  
><em>_I've been with you such a long time__  
><em>_You're my sunshine__  
><em>_And I want you to know__  
><em>_That my feelings are true__  
><em>_I really love you__  
><em>_You're my best friend_

x

Neither Finn nor Rachel knew that they had the same song on their iPods right now and that they were both singing along to it. And they were both thinking that this song was the perfect description of them.

_Rachel: __Ooh, you make me live__  
>Finn: <em>_I've been wandering round__  
>Rachel: <em>_But I still come back to you__  
><em>_In rain or shine__  
>Finn: <em>_You've stood by me girl__  
><em>_I'm happy at home (Rachel: happy at home)__  
><em>_You're my best friend.__  
>Rachel: <em>_Ooh, you make me live__  
><em>_Whenever this world is cruel to me__  
>Finn: <em>_I got you to help me forgive__  
><em>_Ooh, you make me live now honey__  
>Finn and Rachel: <em>_Ooh, you make me live__  
><em>_You're the first one__  
><em>_When things turn out bad__  
><em>_You know I'll never be lonely__  
><em>_You're my only one__  
><em>_And I love the things__  
><em>_I really love the things that you do__  
><em>_You're my best friend__  
><em>_Ooh, you make me live.__  
><em>_I'm happy, happy at home__  
><em>_You're my best friend__  
><em>_You're my best friend__  
><em>_Ooh, you make me live__  
><em>_You, you're my best friend._

x

After a night at the hotel, Rachel decided that she needed to go home and talk to Finn. She may have gotten mad at him, but walking out rather than talking to him wasn't okay. She went back to the apartment and saw Finn sitting in the living room. "Hey," Rachel said softly.

Finn looked up and saw Rachel. "Hi."

"Are you the only one home right now?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Rachel, I have something I need to say to you..."

"Me first," Rachel said. "Finn, I'm so sorry I walked out like that. It was stupid and childish and petty. And I want you to know that I'm not going to go on tour."

Finn looked shocked. "What? Rachel, this is your dream role."

"I have lots of dreams," Rachel said. "My biggest dream is to be married to you. And that's already come true. As for the tour - I'm sure that there will be other shows for me to be in. Other opportunities. But this tour, and any show, is not worth losing you over." She felt herself tearing up. "I love you so much, and I can't stand the thought of not spending every single day with you for two years."

Finn looked at Rachel. "Are you sure you don't want to do the tour?"

"I'm sure," Rachel said. "Finn, I'm so, so sorry. I can't say it enough. I promise I'll never do anything like that again."

"It's not like I'm innocent," Finn said. "I am the one who yelled at you."

"Let's just move past this," Rachel said.

Finn gave Rachel a hug. "Sounds good to me. I love you so much."

Rachel tightened the hug. "I love you, too."

_Chapter 5 preview: Finn gets his glee club ready for the fall musical and enlists the help of the other New Directions alumni living in New York, and the McKinley school musical is underway as well. Meanwhile, will Harmony cause any more trouble at the apartment?_

_SONG: You're My Best Friend by Queen_

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 5!_


	5. Chapter 5: Casting

_Hey guys! Thanks a lot for your support of the last chapter. I really appreciate it! It's always hard to write Finchel fighting, but they always make up in the end :) And remember - they're married, and that's how it's staying. Enjoy this chapter and enjoy if you want me to keep going! And don't forget to visit the Tumblr for this series (finchelseason5) for spoilers or if you want to ask me a question!_

Chapter 5: Casting

Rachel knocked on the door of Rupert's office. "Come in," she heard her director call.

Rachel went inside. "Hi."

"Hi," Rupert said. "What can I do for you today?"

Rachel took a deep breath. "I wanted to say thank you for offering to let me play Fanny on the tour, but after careful consideration, I've decided that's not what's best for me right now."

Rupert looked confused. "I thought you were going to take it."

Rachel didn't want to recap what had happened with her and Finn and their fight. "I just have so much on my plate right now, with school and being newly married, and I just can't go on tour."

"It's your husband, isn't it?" Rupert asked.

Rachel didn't want Rupert to have a negative opinion of Finn. "No, that's not it..."

"Rachel, you've been putting your personal life ahead of the production for a while," Rupert continued. "You took a lot of time off to plan your wedding and go on your honeymoon, and to go be with your family..."

Rachel didn't like where this was going. "I'm sorry," Rachel said. "But I'm only an understudy. I just... I want to have some balance in my life."

"You want to be the lead one day, right?" Rupert asked.

"Well, yes," Rachel admitted.

"If you want to be the lead, you can't just put other things ahead of the show all the time," Rupert said. "You have to want this. You have to want it more than anything. I'm sorry, but this isn't something that comes on a whim."

Was he telling her that if she wanted the lead role, there wouldn't be time for anything else in her life? Rachel wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that. "I'll think about what you said to me today."

"Please do," Rupert said. "You are talented, Rachel. But the question is what you want to do with those talents."

"Thank you," Rachel said. She walked back to the apartment, thinking about her talk with Rupert. Was this what people really thought like? That her family and her education and her friendships shouldn't matter, that only her career should? That had been the life Rachel's mother had tried to pursue and her mother had been unhappy for a while.

Rachel unlocked the apartment door when she got home. Kurt and Santana were sitting in the living room, reading a magazine. "Hey," Rachel said. "Where are our roommates?"

"Finn and Blaine are both at work now," Kurt said. "And Gerber Baby went to the gym."

"Where she is hopefully burning off some of her calories of annoying," Santana said.

Rachel didn't get as much sleep since Harmony woke them up with her renditions of Broadway tunes just about every morning, but she did feel the need to stand up for her. "Santana, don't be mean."

"How much longer are we going to let her stay here?" Santana asked.

Harmony came inside. "Hey roomies."

"Hi Harmony," Rachel said. "How was the gym?"

"They were playing some stupid pop music," Harmony complained. "Why can't they play Barbra?"

"Because no one really likes that but you and Berry," Santana said.

"So, how was rehearsal today, Rachel?" Harmony asked. "Did you get me a part yet?"

Rachel sighed. "Well, I told Rupert I'm not going to go on tour."

"Do you feel bad?" Kurt asked.

"A little, but I know it was the right decision," Rachel admitted.

"Sometimes there aren't easy decisions," Kurt said. "Plus, we'd miss you like crazy if you went on tour."

"Well, if Rachel went on tour, Finn and Santana could share a room and I could have the third bedroom," Harmony said.

"No!" Santana said. "I'm not sharing a room with Frankenteen. He snores."

"Hey!" Rachel defended her husband. "I find the noises Finn makes when he sleeps soothing."

"Aren't you cute?" Kurt teased as Finn and Blaine came inside. Kurt jumped up and ran to his husband. "Blaine!"

"And you were just teasing me about being in love with my husband," Rachel said as she got up to give Finn a hug.

"How was the diner?" Santana asked.

"A drunk customer left a really big tip," Blaine said. "What do you want me to get you with it, Kurt?"

"Hm, I'll need to think," Kurt said.

Finn turned to Rachel. "How was rehearsal?"

"I told Rupert I'm not going to do the tour," Rachel said.

Finn looked a bit conflicted. "Rachel, you didn't have to do it for me. I told you..."

"I did it for me," Rachel said. "Because I hated having you mad at me, and I don't want to be away for two years."

"Well, I hated fighting with you, too," Finn said.

"And having you guys fighting didn't make the apartment a very pleasant place," Santana added.

x

Things were underway at McKinley, but the glee club members had a feeling that this year wasn't going to be like last year, or the year before, or any of the years so far in the New Directions era. It was around time to start auditions for the school musical, since it was always held the first weekend in November, but so far April and Holly hadn't shown any sign of doing that. Instead, Ryder and Marley had gathered everyone to talk to their directors, and today would be the day they'd do so.

"All right!" Holly declared as she came in. "So, who's ready to sing our songs for Sectionals? I think we should do Happy, and Shake It Off, and..."

"We actually have a matter of business we need to discuss," Marley told their directors.

"Okay, what?" April asked.

"We need to talk about the fall musical," Ryder said. "We decided last year that we were going to do Fiddler On The Roof..."

"Hmmm," April said. "That sounds like an interesting title. Was it ever on Broadway?"

Hadn't April been on Broadway herself? "Yeah," Kitty said. "Didn't you hear about it at all during Crossrhodes?"

"I think one of my castmates mentioned it," April said. "So - how do you want to do things?"

Mr. Schue would have known how to do it. "Well, April, how did things work when you were on Broadway?" Kylie asked.

"I don't know, the crew just took care of everything," April said.

It looked like this was in the captains' hands. "Okay," Marley said. "So, we'll audition for the parts, and you guys can decide who gets which part..."

"Okay then," Holly interrupted.

"Maybe you guys should watch the movie first," Jake suggested. "That'll give you an idea of who would be good for which parts."

Why were the glee club members giving their directors instructions? Shouldn't it have been the other way around?"

x

As Finn left school and started arriving at home, his phone started ringing. He saw that it was Ryder calling, so he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Finn, I just wish we could all transfer to the school where you're directing the glee club," Ryder complained.

This didn't sound good. "What's wrong?" Finn asked.

"What's not wrong would be the better question," Ryder continued. "It's time for the school musical, and April and Holly have no idea what they're doing."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"I mean that they haven't seen the movie and we had to explain what'll happen at auditions," Ryder said.

Finn did feel bad for his former glee club. He was doing his best with the one he was working with now, but his heart would always be with the New Directions as well. "Hey, you're going to be okay."

"I hope," Ryder said.

"I'm not worried about you guys," Finn continued. "You and Marley and Kitty and Jake and Kylie have all been there a while. You guys are great leaders and I know the musical will be great. No matter who's directing it, I know things will be okay, because they have you guys."

"You really think that?" Ryder asked.

"Yeah, I know it," Finn said. "So how's your senior year?"

"My senior year is going great," Ryder said. "I took the SAT and it wasn't as overwhelming as I worried it would be. And I have you and Jake to thank. You guys are the ones who helped me discover that I needed an IEP."

"Oh, I'm happy for you," Finn said. "So, what schools have you applied to?"

"Marley applied to Juilliard, so I'm looking at some public schools in New York," Ryder said. "Kitty also is applying to schools in New York, so if the three of us were in New York next year, we'd get to see a lot of you guys."

"I'd love that," Finn said. "I know the others would, too."

"Great," Ryder said. "Well, thanks for talking with me, Finn."

"Oh, of course," Finn said. "I'll call you again soon, okay?"

"Okay," Ryder said as he hung up the phone. Finn went back into his apartment. Tonight, all the McKinley High alumni in New York would be having dinner together, as they did once a week, so now would be the perfect time to ask for help with his own musical. The glee club had voted to do The Sound of Music as their musical, and Finn had seen that with Rachel and Kurt before. He knew how much Kurt liked it, so he had a feeling that at least his wife and brother would be willing to help.

"So, Finn, what's the musical going to be?" Kurt asked as Finn arrived.

"The Sound of Music," Finn said.

"YES!" Kurt cheered. "I love that show."

"I have a favor to ask," Finn said as the group sat down to dinner. "The musical's going to be in December, and I want you to help me direct it, Artie."

"Of course!" Artie said. "We're an awesome directing team, everyone knows that."

Finn smiled. "Great. And I wanted to ask the rest of you something too. Next week, I want you guys to help with the auditions, and then once we cast them, I'll pair each of you up with one of the leads to give them guidance and be their coach."

"I get the NYADA wannabe," Harmony declared.

"No, I've already decided I want Rachel to to work with her," Finn told Harmony. He'd seen parallels between Rachel and Caitlin. He thought Rachel would be a better influence on her than Harmony would. "You can have the tone deaf girl."

"What?" Harmony demanded.

"Hey, a challenge is good for budding stars," Kurt said.

Harmony pouted. "Okay."

"Hey, you are talented," Rachel told Harmony. "I think that you might be able to make her a good singer."

"I can try, I guess," Harmony said.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I just hope that the musical at McKinley goes okay."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I talked to Ryder today, and he said that April and Holly don't really know what they're doing," Finn admitted. "It sounds like the glee club members themselves have pretty much taken charge of the musical."

x

"Okay everyone, I brought along a friend to help me direct the musical," Finn told the glee club as he and Artie arrived. "Artie's a student at Brooklyn Film Academy, and he and I directed Grease together in high school."

"That's right," Artie said. "I also directed West Side Story in high school."

"I'm glad we're finally doing a musical," Caitlin said. "The School of the Performing Arts does three a year, and I'm going to need to play the lead if I want to get into NYADA."

"You'll get the lead," Josh said to Caitlin.

Caitlin looked surprised. "Thanks."

"I'm going to have some other help too," Finn said. "Once we cast you, those of you with big roles will be paired up with a mentor to help you with your part. My wife and my brother and my friends have agreed to help."

"Yeah," Artie said. "So, we have our work cut out for us, but this is going to be the best musical your school has ever seen."

"So, when are we having auditions?" Ariana asked. "Because I'm going to play Maria."

Finn didn't know what to say to this. Ariana was - well, there was no nice way to say it - she wasn't a good singer. He knew that if he wanted the production to be a success, Caitlin would have to play Maria. She was the best singer and she needed this for her NYADA application. "I was thinking at our next meeting..."

"Okay," Ariana said. "Because I am going to be Maria."

"We heard you the first time," Artie said.

"No," Caitlin said. "I'm going to be Maria."

"Guys, Artie and I will decide who plays Maria after the auditions," Finn said. "Right now, let's familiarize ourselves with some of the songs from the show." He began handing out some sheet music, hoping auditions wouldn't cause too much drama.

"Okay, I feel like I'm back in McKinley," Artie told Finn as his phone vibrated. He looked at the phone. "Oh, it's an update on the McKinley show from Kitty. Ryder's playing Tevye, Marley's playing Golde, Jake's playing Motel, Kitty's playing Tzeitel, Kylie's playing Hodel, Jack's playing Perchik, Aubrey's playing Chava, Anthony's playing Fyedka, Ellie's playing Shprintze, Samantha's playing Bielke, and Michael's playing the Fiddler."

"Well, at least April and Holly managed to cast the show," Finn said. He looked around the room, watching as the kids began to sing some of the songs from the musical together in groups. "So, how do you think things ar going to work with casting?"

"Well, there are two girls who really want Maria," Artie said.

"Artie, you've been here before," Finn said. "I do think Caitlin should play Maria. I know we should wait until after auditions, but I think she's best for the part."

"Me too," Artie agreed.

"And I know we haven't held auditions yet, but I like Josh for the Captain," Finn said. "He's got the best voice of the guys and he and Caitlin sound good together."

"Well, you know them best," Artie said.

x

The next meeting was when auditions were held, and Finn had gotten his fellow New Directions alumni to come help him and Artie with the auditions. This was also when he would decide who would play which part nad who would be working with who. After auditions were finished, the group sat with the list of glee club members and the list of parts in the show.

"Okay, I'm just going to start off with saying that I agree with what Finn suggested," Rachel said. "Josh for the Captain and Caitlin for Maria."

"Yeah, I think so too," Sam agreed.

"Okay," Finn said. "Well, that's what Artie and I were thinking, anyway." Then another idea came to his head. "Some of the Von Trapp children are supposed to be a lot younger... maybe we could get kids from the elementary and middle schools to come play those parts."

"You know, that's actually a good idea," Kurt said. "If the high school kids play the older kids, that'll be one thing, but it'll just be weird if we have high school kids playing the really little ones."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. "Maybe have freshmen or sophomores play the three middle kids and see if we can get kids from the elementary or middle schools to play the two youngest."

Finn was relieved his idea went over okay. "Great. So we'll do that. Besides, there are parts for the other kids."

"And Finn," Mercedes said. "Maybe you should have Kurt and Tina and me design the costumes. I don't think you'd be very good it it."

"Okay, you guys are hired," Finn said.

"And maybe I can see if Mike can come for a weekend and choreograph some dance routines for the show," Tina offered.

"That would be great!" Finn said. "Now let's decide who's going to play the other parts."

x

After some discussion, Finn went to the school's bulletin board, the other alumni following behind him, as he posted the cast list for the show. Many of the glee club members were waiting outside. When Caitlin saw the cast list, she jumped up and declared, "Yes!" before running up to Finn and his friends. "Thank you!" Caitlin said. "Rachel, I hope you'll put in a good word for me at NYADA and Broadway."

Then Ariana came over. "Why did you give Caitlin the part?"

Finn didn't know what to say. "We just thought she'd be best for it."

"I should have gotten it!" Ariana declared.

Finn didn't want to hurt her. "You're only a freshman. There will be other opportunities for you."

Ariana just glared at Finn and stormed off. Suddenly, Finn had a feeling directing the show may not be so easy.

_Chapter 6 preview: Finn has the other alumni start working with his glee club members - but will there be drama about the casting decisions? Also, Rachel finds out who got cast in the tour - and what it might mean for her future._

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 6!_


	6. Chapter 6: A Dream Come True - Or Not

_Hey! Thanks as always for your support of Chapter 5. I appreciate it. As I'm sure you can guess, Rachel's incident with the director and producer is based off what happened in Season 5 - because I thought they were being ridiculous. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 6: A Dream Come True - Or Not

Rachel arrived at rehearsal. Ever since she told Rupert she wouldn't do the tour, things had been awkward. Rupert and Sidney had both been especially short tempered with her lately, and many of the other cast members hadn't been especially friendly to her either. Jean and Taylor continued to be nice to her, but they'd always been her friends.

Rachel had an exam today at school, so she hoped she wouldn't get in trouble for being late. Just yesterday Sidney had reprimanded her for bumping into a piece of scenery.

As Rachel arrived, Rupert and Sidney were talking as Paolo and Marissa were singing You Are Woman, I Am Man. When Rachel came in, both the director and the producer glared at her.

Rachel looked at her watch. She wasn't late. What had she done now? "Is something wrong?"

"What did you do to yourself?" Rupert asked.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Your hair?" Sidney asked. "Anything you'd like to share about that? Why you didn't ask for approval?"

Rachel gulped. Then she remembered... this morning she'd gotten her hair done.

x

"Is there anything specific you want today?" the hairstylist asked Rachel.

"No," Rachel said. "Just trim the dead ends off."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" the stylist asked. "Every time you've come in, all you've wanted is the dead ends trimmed off."

Rachel remembered last time she'd made a drastic change in her appearance. Kurt had called her a slutty barbie. Since then, she'd avoided the clothes from Vogue and hadn't worn any makeup. She'd also dyed all her hair back to her natural color, and she'd grown out her bangs.

But maybe it would be safe to do something a little different. "Maybe put in a few highlights of a little lighter than my regular color, and take a few inches off."

x

"Oh," Rachel said. "Well, I wasn't planning to do anything..."

"What do you mean you weren't planning?" Sidney asked, getting angry. "The point is that you did."

"That's probably four or five inches you took off," Rupert added "You can't just do that!"  
>"Why not?" Rachel asked. "It's my hair. It's my life."<p>

"This may be your hair and your life, but it's our show," Rupert snapped. "We need to pre approve everything, and you going behind our backs and doing this is not right."

"It's not like I'm the star of the show!" Rachel said. "I'd only be going on if Marissa got sick and it was one of my nights."

"Yes, and we didn't approve for you to go on that stage looking like that," Sidney declared.

This was ridiculous. "Well, I'm sorry, but I think you're overreacting," Rachel said.

"Between this and the tour, you should think long and hard about whether not you really want to be in this show, Rachel," Rupert said.

Rachel sighed as she went to sit down. Maybe they were right. Maybe she shouldn't have changed her hair. Sure, there were parts of it that were different colored highlights, and it was to her shoulders now rather than to her mid back, but it wasn't like she'd gotten a pixie and dyed it blond. Someone who didn't see her regularly probably wouldn't have even noticed that it was different. She thought that the director and producer were being a bit ridiculous.

x

"So, this was the costume we had in mind for Maria," Kurt told Finn as he showed him a sketch. "I'm going to need to get Caitlin's measurements, but I think this would look good."

"Well, you know more about this than I do," Finn said. "Thanks Kurt."

"No problem," Kurt said. "Some of my Vogue friends are helping, too."

"Great," Finn said. The apartment door opened and Rachel came in. "Hey!" Finn said, going over to give his wife a hug and a kiss.

Finn noticed that Rachel looked upset. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I can not stand my director and producer!" Rachel snapped.

Finn hadn't heard Rachel talk this way about them before. "What happened..."

"Oh my God!" Kurt said. "What happened to your hair?"

Finn looked at Rachel's ponytail. She had her hair in a ponytail, but he could tell that it was noticeably shorter and that there were streaks of it that were a little lighter. "Did they want you to change your hair against your will?" Finn asked.

"No," Rachel said, taking down her ponytail. "I had an appointement this morning and I was getting a trim, but the girl who does my hair suggested we do something different, and I thought that was worth a shot. They acted like I'd set fire to the theatre!"

"Okay, that's insane!" Kurt said.

"I think so too," Rachel agreed. "Ever since I told them I wasn't going on tour, they've been finding fault with everything I do."

"That's not okay!" Finn said. "If you want to do something different with your hair, you should be able to."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "It's none of their business."

Finn hated to hear that Rachel was being treated like this. "I'm sorry, Rachel. For what it's worth, you look gorgeous."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "And if they can't see that, that's their problem."

Rachel smiled. "Thanks guys." She gave Finn and Kurt both a hug. "So, how's the musical planning going?"

"It's going well," Finn said. "Kurt was just showing me the costume designs he has in mind."

"Oh, can I see?" Rachel asked.

"Of course!" Kurt said, handing the drawings to Rachel.

"These are great!" Rachel said.

"Well, I'll take your word for it," Finn said. "I'm useless with this stuff, so I'm glad I have Kurt."

Rachel laughed. "I probably wouldn't be very good either."

"So, when will the kids be here?" Kurt asked.

"It should be soon," Finn said. "Rachel, I was hoping you'd sing with me to demonstrate epic musical chemistry."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I'm pairing you with the female lead as the one for you to mentor. Sam's getting paired with the male lead."

"Okay," Rachel said. "And what song did you have in mind for us to sing for them?"

"Falling Slowly," Finn said. "Do you know that song?"

Rachel giggled. "Of course."

"I thought you would," Finn said. He really had no doubt that Josh and Caitlin would sound good on the romantic duets. He just wanted an excuse to sing with Rachel.

Eventually, Artie wheeled back into the room. "Finn, I was just talking with the stage crew about lighting for the show."

"Great!" Finn said. "The kids are probably going to be here soon."

"Well, we do have to wait for the other alumni to get here," Rachel said.

"That's true," Finn said. As if on cue, the door opened as Blaine, Sam, Mercedes, Santana and Tina came in.

"Just don't do to them what Rupert did to me..." Rachel began as she was interrupted by Santana. "Holy crap, Rachel! Another New York makeover?"

"That's a bit of a sore subject," Finn said, not wanting to get things going again for Rachel. She'd been pretty upset about how Rupert acted earlier. "Rachel decided to cut her hair shorter and highlight it at the spur of the moment, and Rupert and Sidney acted like she set the theatre on fire."

"That's so stupid," Tina said.

"I agree," Finn said. "Where's Harmony?"

Harmony came in. "Sorry I'm late. I heard through the grapevine that they might be reviving Evita and I was trying to find a way to audition."

Finn sighed. "Good for you. Now that everyone's here, let's go over who's going to be working with who."

"I get the NYADA hopeful," Harmony said.

"We talked about this already," Finn said. "Rachel's working with her."

No one else had a chance to say anything. The door opened, and some of the members of the glee club started to come in. Once everyone arrived, Finn spoke. "All right! Who's ready for rehearsals to start?"

Everyone cheered except Ariana. "I hope you're going to give me the part."

Finn sighed. "The parts have been decided. However, since you do want a larger part, you will still get to have a very special guest as a coach. As you can see, I brought my friends along. Those of you with larger parts are each going to work with one of them on being the best you can for the musical. So, when you hear your name, pair up. Rachel, you're working with Caitlin, who plays Maria. Sam, you're with Josh, who's playing the Captain. Mercedes, you're with Miranda, who's playing Liesl. Kurt, you're with Scott, who's playing Max. Blaine, you're with Mark, who's playing Rolf. Santana, you're with Bridget, who's playing Mother Abyss. Tina, you're with Rebecca, who's playing Elsa. And Harmony, you're with Ariana."

Harmony gave Finn a look, but Finn ignored it and instead continued talking. "Now, Artie and I gave those of you with large parts - or want large parts - each a coach for a reason. These are National show choir champions and they're here to help you with anything so we can do the best production we possibly can."

"Yes," Rachel added. "And we know you guys can do it. I've heard you all, and you're all so talented."

"She's a Broadway understudy, so listen to her," Kurt said.

"I'm going to be the real thing," Harmony interrupted.

"Now, there are several romantic scenes in this show," Finn said, hoping to lead into his song with Rachel. "And when you sing a romantic song with someone, it's important to really show passion. Now, these people standing in front of you can tell you, Rachel and I were pretty famous for our romantic duets, so we're going to show you an example." He handed the sheet music to Kurt, who sat down at the piano and began playing.

_Finn: I don't know you  
>But I want to<br>All the more for that  
>Words fall through me<br>And always fool me  
>And I can't react<br>And games that never amount  
>To more than they're meant<br>Will play themselves out  
>Finn and Rachel: Take this sinking boat and point it home<br>We've still got time  
>Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice<br>You've made it now  
>Falling slowly, eyes that know me<br>And I can't go back  
>Moods that take me and erase me<br>And I'm painted black  
>Finn: You have suffered enough<br>And warred with yourself  
>It's time that you won<br>Finn and Rachel: Take this sinking boat and point it home  
>We've still got time<br>Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice  
>You've made it now<br>Finn: One, two, three, four  
>Take this sinking boat and point it home<br>We've still got time  
>Finn and Rachel: Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice<br>You've made it now  
>Falling slowly, sink your melody<br>I'll sing it loud_

At the end of the song, the kids were clapping. "So you see, that's how you do a romantic duet," Finn said. "And I'm sure you can do that with your romantic partners for the show. Now, everyone with a coach, you can meet with your coach now, and the rest of you, let's go over some of the other songs with me and Artie."

Ariana came storming over to Finn. "So, you're still not going to give me the part?"

"I'm sorry," Finn said. "You're just not ready."

Ariana jumped up and slapped Finn across the face. Finn didn't know how to react to that. Before he had a chance, Santana pulled her off Finn. "Hey! What was that for?"

Ariana looked at Santana. "He can't recognize my talent."

"Let me tell you something," Santana snapped. "Finn knows talent. And Caitlin got this part because she has talent. She's the most talented person in this club. And I'm sorry, but that's how it is. So either you're going to shut up and sway in the background, or I'm going to go all Lima Heights on your ass."

Finn knew this wasn't a good way of dealing with it. "Santana, calm down."

"What is Lima Heights, anyway?" Ariana asked.

"Oh, you don't want to know," Santana said.

"And she's not going to," Finn said. "Santana, you've got to work with our Mother Abyss. Ariana, get back with Harmony."

Maybe Finn shouldn't have taken Ariana into the glee club. He knew that Mr. Schue had always accepted everyone, but this girl was trouble. He was already having trouble managing her, but at least right now he had help from the other alumni who were helping with the musical. After the musical he'd be on his own...

Finn decided to put those thoughts out of his mind. He instead asked the club members with minor parts to start singing their parts of the songs.

x

"Can we go into another room?" Caitlin asked Rachel.

"Yeah, sure," Rachel said. "Let me just text with Finn." She nudged her husband. "Finn, Caitlin wants to practice in a private room."

"Okay," Finn said.

"Since you're my mentor for the musical and you go to NYADA and you're an understudy on Broadway - I want to sound the best that I possibly can for the musical," Caitlin said as they walked into the room next door.

"Well, I'm glad to help," Rachel said.

Caitlin got out a folder. "So, we're going to start with the Maria classics. "I want you to listen to me sing them and tell me how good I am."

Rachel didn't know what to say. "I love your enthusiasm, but you said you want to be the best you can, right?"

"Right," Caitlin confirmed.

"So, I'm going to tell you how you can get even better," Rachel said.

"Sounds good," Caitlin said.

Rachel looked at the sheet music. "You know, this is a really iconic role," Rachel said. "Julie Andrews made it one of the most well known roles of her generation. She's still famous for it."

"I know," Caitlin said. "The opening number... I could listen to it all day."

"Can I hear you sing it?" Rachel asked.

"Let's see if you sound as good as I do on it," Caitlin said.

Rachel was reminded of her early self. "Okay, I'll give it a try." She began singing the song, letting Caitlin know when she wanted her to take over.

_Rachel: The hills are alive,  
>With the sound of music<br>With songs they have sung  
>For a thousand years<br>The hills fill my heart,  
>With the sound of music<br>My heart wants to sing  
>Every song it hears<br>Caitlin: My heart wants to beat  
>Like the wings of the birds<br>That rise from the lake to the trees  
>My heart wants to sigh<br>Like a chime that flies  
>From a church on a breeze<br>To laugh like a brook  
>When it trips and falls<br>Over stones on its way  
>To sing through the night<br>Like a lark  
>Who is learning to pray<br>I go to the hills  
>When my heart is lonely<br>I know I will hear  
>What I've heard before<br>Rachel and Caitlin: My heart will be blessed,  
>With the sound of music<br>And I'll sing once more._

"You were good," Rachel said to Caitlin at the end of the song.

"You think?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, you were," Rachel said.

"You're pretty good too," Caitlin admitted. "Now can we do My Favorite Things?"

x

Finn listened as the members of the glee club finished up singing Do Re Mi, then dismissed them for the day. As the glee club members started to leave, Josh came up to Finn. "Hey."

"Hey," Finn said. "So, how did it go with Sam?"

"Sam's cool," Josh said. "I just... I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course," Finn said.

"You and Rachel, you sound so good together, and you really play the romantic thing when you sing together," Josh said. "I don't know if Caitlin and I can do it."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"Well, I like Caitlin," Josh admitted.

This wasn't a surprise to Finn. He would notice Josh looking at Caitlin during rehearsals. "Well, if you like Caitlin, then getting to sing romantic songs with her should be fun."

"Yeah, I guess," Josh said. "It's just... last year I dated another girl, and I'm worried about what she'll think if she sees me singing with Caitlin."

"Who is this girl?" Finn asked.

"She graduated," Josh admitted. "I don't know if she'll even come to the musical, and I don't even have feelings for her like that anymore, but she's been texting me and calling me nonstop and if she sees me with Caitlin she'll lose it."

"Let me tell you something," Finn said. "When I first started to fall in love with Rachel, I was actually with another girl. I really wanted to be with Rachel, but there were issues with this girl that kept us from being together. But the more time I spent with Rachel, the more I knew that we were meant to be. It was as if no one else was there. When you're up there with Caitlin, just - let it just be the two of you. Let you two be the only people in the world. I know you guys have it in you."

"Thanks Finn," Josh said.

"No problem," Finn said.

x

"Thanks so much for having us come help with the kids today," Finn said to Rachel as they walked home.

"No problem," Rachel said. "You know I'm glad to help."

"And our duet was pretty good for one we were just throwing together as we sang it," Finn said.

"Yes!" Rachel agreed. "Quite frankly, you and I sound better together than me and any of the guys in Funny Girl."

"Well, thank you Rachel," Finn laughed.

"You're welcome," Rachel said. "Thanks for not breaking up with me for cutting and highlighting my hair."

"Why would I do something like that?" Finn asked. "You know I love you no matter what you look like. And I must say, I like this look."

"Thanks," Rachel said. "I just couldn't believe how they acted at rehearsal. I don't want to go on tour. Why can't they accept that?"

"I don't know," Finn said. He wasn't sure if he still wanted Rachel to be part of the production if this was how people would act, but he also knew that this was her dream role and it had been since she was little.

Then Rachel's phone started vibrating. Rachel looked at it. "Speak of the devil."

"Who is it?" Finn asked.

"It's one of the ensemble actors in Funny Girl," Rachel said. "Maybe they're telling me they overheard Rupert and Sidney saying that I'm fired."

"I hope not," Finn said.

Rachel sighed and opened her phone. "Finn, Marissa's going to be going on the tour... do you think this means that I might have a chance at getting the main part?"

Finn hoped Rachel would. He knew no one deserved it more than Rachel did. But with everything going on with her and the crew, he didn't know.

_Chapter 7 preview: More work on the musical with Finn's glee club - and more drama. The New Yorkers find out how things are going at McKinley, and Rachel contemplates whether not she should try out for the lead role._

_SONGS: Falling Slowly from Once and The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music_

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 7!_


	7. Chapter 7: Out

_Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews on Chapter 6. I am SO sorry it took me so long to update, but this is a busy time of year for everyone. As those of you who read my other story know, my other story is almost over, so I'm wondering: how would you guys feel about another story with Finchel's kids? Anyway, enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going, and Merry Christmas if I don't update before then!_

Chapter 7: Out

Rachel lay in the bed next to Finn, thinking about the phone call from the extra. The lead from Funny Girl was going on the tour. That left the door open for her to take over the lead role. But would they give her the role?

When she'd showed up with her hair slightly shorter and with the color just a little different, the director and producer had completely lost it. Ever since she said she didn't want to do the tour, things had been different at rehearsals. She'd felt ostracized and had been criticized for the smallest things.

She thought that she would be good for the role. But with everything that was going on - would they give her a chance?

Finn rolled over and looked at Rachel. "Hey beautiful."

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Rachel asked.

"Having trouble sleeping," Finn said. "What about you?"

"Yeah, same thing," Rachel said.

"Maybe I shouldn't have had caffiene so late in the day," Finn admitted.

Rachel giggled. "Yeah, maybe not."

"What about you?" Finn asked. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I've just been thinking," Rachel said. "With Marissa going on tour, there will be an opening to play Fanny on Broadway, and I really want to do it..."

"Of course you do," Finn said. "And no one would be better for it than you."

"But Rupert and Sidney hate me," Rachel admitted. There was no point in pretending they didn't. She knew they did.

"I don't think they hate you," Finn said.

Rachel sighed. "They get mad at me for the smallest things. I thought they were going to fire me when I cut my hair."

"They didn't," Finn said.

Rachel could tell Finn was trying to be encouraging, but she knew what her producer and director were really like. "Yeah that's true. But what do you think I should do?"

"When they start talking about it, I want you to tell them you want to play the part," Finn said. "Rachel, I've heard you sing those songs. You're amazing. No one can do it like you."

Rachel forced a smile. "You're so sweet, Finn."

Finn leaned in and kissed Rachel. "I love you. You know that, right?"

Rachel nodded and kissed Finn. "I love you too. So, so much." Maybe Finn was right. Waiting it out would probably be the best thing to do.

x

"So the word's out on the Broadway blogs! Marissa Highwater is going on the Funny Girl tour, so who will take over as Fanny Brice on Broadway?"

Rachel tried to stay focused on her homework as she sat at a table in the study lounge with Kurt and Blaine. NYADA's biggest gossips were at it again. These two guys knew everything, and ever since Rachel's freshman year (their sophomore year) they had been a pain in her side.

"Just ignore them," Blaine whispered. "They're just being their usual annoying selves."

"You know, if Paolo San Pablo goes on tour, too, then they'd need to refill both the lead roles," one of the boys said. "And two of the understudies come from NYADA, Rachel Berry and Jean Baptiste."

The other one looked at Rachel. "But Rachel, how do you respond to rumors that you have been uncooperative on the set lately?"

Uncooperative? There were rumors going around about that? Rachel was cooperating fine. It was Rupert and Sidney who were being difficult. "Those rumors are false," Rachel said.

"We heard you chose your loser boyfriend over the tour," one of the boys added. "True or false?"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend," Blaine said. "She has a husband, and he's certainly not a loser."

"Married before college is over?" one of the boys asked.

"Yes," Rachel said. "I love him, and I don't want to miss out on any time with him."

"And if you guys don't stop, I'm going to challenge you to midnight madness," Kurt said.

The boys looked threatened now and walked away. "At least they're graduating after this year," Blaine said.

"Who's starting those rumors about me?" Rachel asked. "Ever since I told Rupert and Sidney that I wasn't going to do the tour, they've been making my life a living hell at rehearsals."

"Maybe it's some extras who want to move up in the production," Blaine suggested.

"I love performing and I love Funny Girl, but I'm not at a place in my life where I want to be traveling all over the country," Rachel said. "With Marissa going on the tour, this is perfect for me, but who knows?"

x

"Okay, everyone, let's get started," Finn said as he walked into the room.

"Uh, Finn, we can't just get started," Mark said.

Finn looked around the room and noticed that some people were missing. "Wait, where are our leads?"

"We don't know," Scott said. "They were in classes today."

Finn began to think. Where could they be? "Well, let's just get started. I can have some of the others sing songs that they aren't included on."

"They're on most of the songs, Finn," Bridget pointed out.

"Well, we'll need to run through some of the ones that they're not on," Finn said. He wished that he'd sent for some of the other kids to go look for the leads, but instead he had them work on some of the other songs. As he got out some sheet music, his phone started vibrating. He looked and saw that it was a text from Josh. "Hey, why aren't you here? And why isn't anyone here but me and Caitlin?"

Why wasn't Finn where? Finn quickly replied to the text. "What do you mean?"

Josh sent another text back. "Ariana told me in the hall that rehearsals were going to be at the rec center near the library today..."

Finn should have known. Ariana. Of course she had something to do with this. She wanted to keep Caitlin away from rehearsal so she could have the lead parts. Finn groaned and replied to the text. "Well, she lied. They're at school. Since you and Caitlin missed rehearsal today, I can set up a time to go over things with you, and I'll have Sam and Rachel come, too. I'll talk to Ariana about this." Finn looked up at the group. "Okay everyone, let's take a five minute water break. Ariana, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Ariana came up to the front of the room. "Hi Finn. I know what you're doing. Since Caitlin's not here, you're going to tell me I can be Maria... and there's a really cute boy in my study hall who I can get to play the Captain..."

Finn wasn't stupid, and he wasn't going to let her act like he was. "No, that's where you're wrong. I know that Josh and Caitlin aren't here today because you told them rehearsal was going to be someplace else."

"What?" Ariana asked. "That's not true."

"Oh really?" Finn asked. He got out his phone and held up the text from Josh. "Explain this to me then?"

"The freakishly tall guy is lying!" Ariana snapped.

"Josh doesn't seem like the type to lie," Finn pointed out. "He's always here on time, he always pays attention, he's devoted to his sports and from what I've heard, he gets pretty good grades."

"Oh please!" Ariana said. "He's trying to get me in trouble so that girl in the ugly clothes can get rid of her main competition. I know he likes her. It's obvious."

"Who likes who is not the point," Finn continued. "You lied to them. I can't have my leads missing rehearsals."

"This isn't my fault!" Ariana snapped. "You have no proof."

Finn sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you, but I know and you know that you told them that. Now get back to practice, or you may just find yourself getting kicked out of the show." He wasn't going to put up with this. There were many other kids who needed his attention. Mr. Schue had kicked out Santana when she lit the piano on fire and Mercedes when she was being rude at booty camp, and he wasn't afraid to kick people out if he had to.

When the other students came back, Finn turned to them. "Let's get back to our practice." For now, he'd deal with practicing with the leads later.

x

Luckily for Finn, Josh and Caitlin were both available to meet after school the next day. Rachel had talked to Caitlin on the phone the previous night since she had rehearsals this afternoon, and Finn had brought Sam with him since he was Josh's mentor. "So, she just gave them the wrong place for rehearsal?" Sam asked as they arrived in the classroom.

"Yeah," Finn said. "She's just... she's insane. I don't know what I'm going to do about her."

"Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I'm just hoping all goes well."

"It will," Sam said. "You told me about how you told her you'd kick her out if she didn't cooperate... that's definitely a sign of backbone."

Josh and Caitlin came into the classroom. "Thanks for meeting with us today," Caitlin said. "I just... I need this play. I need people from NYADA to see it and I need to get in. If I even miss one rehearsal, I'm doomed."

"Hey, I think you'll be fine with one missed rehearsal," Josh told Caitlin.

Caitlin looked flattered. "Thanks."

"Okay," Finn said. "So, Caitlin, you talked to Rachel?"

"Yeah," Caitlin said. "I sang lots of the songs for her on the phone and she gave me some great advice."

"Good," Finn said. "Now, you guys saw how Rachel and I did our duet together. When you have your romantic scenes together, I want the audience to feel the passion."

"Not everyone has what you and Rachel have," Caitlin said.

"This isn't about what things are like in real life," Finn said. "You want to go to NYADA and be on Broadway, and you're going to have to have romantic scenes."

"Okay," Caitlin agreed. "Let's get started.

x

As Rachel was leaving rehearsal, her phone rang. She looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Kylie, so she picked up the phone. "Hey!"

"Hey," Kylie said. "Rachel, things are getting insane at McKinley."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"What it sounds like I mean," Kylie said. "Today... I just wish you guys could come help with our musical, too. It would be better than what's going on now."

"What happened?" Rachel asked.

"Well, let's see..." Kylie began.

x

April and Holly were late. They'd been late a lot lately. The musical would be opening in a few weeks, and still, no one felt ready. Mr. Schue may not have been perfect, but at least he knew what he was doing.

"Maybe we should get started without them," Jake suggested.

"Okay," Ryder agreed. "Let's go from the top, with Tradition."

"One of your big solos," Jake murmured, looking at Marley.

"It's the opening number, you guys," Marley said. "It's the one we're going to use to welcome the crowd to the show. And it's important to make a good first impression."

"Who left you two in charge?" Jake asked.

"They are the captains," Kylie pointed out.

"Okay, enough," Ryder said. "Everyone, let's do our number. After that, we can do Sunrise Sunset..."

Then the door opened and April and Holly came in. "Hola classe!" Holly said.

"You guys are late," Kitty pointed out.

"We're late because we wanted to find some extra special stuff for the musical!" April said.

"Yes," Holly added. "We wanted to put a modern twist on it. So, we were thinking that instead of Russia, we could set it in modern day Ohio, and we can replace some of the slow songs with rock songs..."

Everyone knew this was a bad idea. "No!" Marley said. "This needs to be like the real musical."

"Wouldn't it still be a real musical?" April asked. "Maybe we should have just done Crossrhodes."

"April, Holly, thank you for your suggestions, but we're sticking with keeping it close to the original," Ryder said. "You can watch us do our opening number and tell us what you think."

During the opening number, the New Directions members noticed April and Holly were on the computer. It was clear that the real directors were Ryder and Marley, not April and Holly. At least they seemed to know what they were doing... but everyone just wanted Mr. Schue back.

"Well, what did you think?" Jack asked at the end of the number.

"Well, it wasn't bad," Holly said.

Not bad? That was all they had to say? "By the way, have any of you thought about what songs might be good for Sectionals?" April asked.

Shouldn't it be the directors' jobs to help come up with songs? "Maybe we should just do songs from the musical, so we can fully focus on that," Kylie said, saying the first thing that came to mind. After all, last year they'd won with songs from Wicked.

"Do you think the judges would find those songs appealing?" Holly asked. "You should have done a good show."

"We decided what show we were going to do last year," Marley said. "And we've been working on it hard when you've been late. Mr. Schue would never be late."

"I love Mr. Schue, but you guys should loosen up," April said. "Have fun."

Clearly, trying to work with their directors wasn't going anywhere. "Let's do Matchmaker," Marley said.

x

"Oh gosh," Rachel said. She knew how hard Finn was working with his glee club and she wished that her sister and the kids in the club she was in once had that. She did like April and Holly - but she had a feeling that they weren't the right people to be leading the glee club.

"Yeah," Kylie said. "I just don't know what I'm going to do..."

"I wish there was something I could do," Rachel said.

"Sorry for all the complaining," Kylie said. "So, how's New York?"

Rachel was tempted to say something about working on the musical with Finn, but she knew it might make Kylie feel bad about the McKinley musical. "It's good. Work is piling up. I hope you can come visit soon."

"Me too," Kylie said.

x

The production staff of Funny Girl had made the announcement - their lead was leaving the show to play Fanny on the US tour, and a new actress had not yet been named. Rachel decided to go to Rupert's office and talk to him. He was typically more reasonable than Sidney, so maybe she could have a shot. She knocked on his door as she was about to leave. "Come in!" Rupert called.

Rachel went inside. "Hi."

"What is it?" Rupert asked.

What kind of way was that to greet one of your employees? Rachel decided to just get to the point. "With Marissa going on the tour, I want to audition for the part to be the main Fanny."

Rupert looked surprised. "You do?"

At least he hadn't flat out told her he couldn't. "Yes," Rachel said. "I'm a good singer and a good actress, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to be an even better performer. I've been watching this show since I was little and I have a special connection with Barbra Streisand. I think I would be a great Fanny."

"You do?" Rupert asked.

"Yes," Rachel said.

Rupert looked a bit annoyed. "Well, I guess I could have you try out when we have auditions."

Well, at least he was going to give her a chance. That was something. "Thank you." She left the office, deciding not to continue this conversation and feeling a bit of confidence coming back.

x

"That was good, Caitlin," Finn said as he listened to Caitlin finish up on Do Re Mi.

"I was a bit off with my beat," Caitlin critiqued.

"Hey, you were good," Finn said.

"My beat wouldn't be off," Ariana snapped.

"Well, you have three years to prove that," Finn said. "This is how this musical's going to be."

"You think you know so much because you're married to that girl on Broadway," Ariana snapped.

"You know what?" Finn snapped. "I've had it with you. You're rude to me. You're rude to your fellow glee club members. You talk back, you degrade others, and you have a bad attitude, and it's not okay. Get out!"

Ariana looked shocked. "What?"

"You heard me," Finn said. "Get out."

Ariana started to leave the room, and Finn felt proud of himself.

_Chapter 8 preview: What will the school think of Finn kicking Ariana out of the glee club? Rachel also tries out for the lead in Funny Girl and some familiar faces come to visit New York!_

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 8!_


	8. Chapter 8: Progress

_Merry late Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a great day yesterday! I know I did - it was so nice to go back to my hometown and be with my family. That's why it took so long to update - I was spending the holidays with my family. They live two and a half hours away from me and I don't see them much, so I didn't have much time to write. So sorry! The wait for the next update won't be so long, I promise. Enjoy and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 8: Progress

As Finn arrived home, he couldn't wait to tell his wife, brother and roommates the news. He'd shown Ariana that he wasn't going to put up with her behavior anymore and that he was the one who was making the calls in glee club.

As Finn went inside, Blaine was playing on xbox, Santana was on her iPhone and Kurt and Rachel were reading a magazine. "Guess what!" Finn announced.

"You won the lottery," Santana said.

"No!" Finn said proudly. "Ariana's out of the glee club."

Rachel, Kurt, Blaine and Santana looked at Finn. "So you just kicked her out?" Rachel asked.

"She's just been so difficult lately, and she's been rude to me, and to Caitlin, and uncooperative," Finn said. "I'd just had enough and I couldn't take it anymore." He got out his phone. "That reminds me, I should text Artie and tell him that our directing job just got easier!"

"Wow, Frankenteen," Santana said. "You really do have balls."

"I can attest to that," Rachel giggled.

Finn gave Rachel a playful look. "Well, I feel great."

"You should," Blaine said. "That girl was a nightmare."

"All the kids we're mentoring were complaining about her," Kurt added.

"Well, she's not good," Finn said. "I have nothing against kids who aren't the most naturally talented being in the glee club. When I first started glee club, I'd never sang before..."

"Yeah, but you have the best voice ever," Rachel said.

Finn smiled. "Thanks, Rach. The point is, I am willing to work with her to improve her voice, but she's in complete denial that there's a problem. She thinks that she's the best ever and that she should be playing Maria. And the way she talks to the other kids isn't okay."

"Well, good for you, Finn," Kurt said.

"Yeah, I feel pretty good," Finn said.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked Rachel.

Finn looked at Rachel. She hadn't mentioned not feeling well. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rachel said. "For some reason I threw up this morning, but I'm feeling fine. Maybe I ate something weird yesterday or something."

Finn felt himself getting worried about Rachel. "What?"

"Finn, it's like I told you, I'm fine," Rachel said. "I must have eaten something weird. I'm fine."

"Okay," Finn said. "Just tell me if there's anything you need."

Rachel gave Finn a kiss. "I will. So, I talked to Kylie today."

"Oh, how are New Directions?" Blaine asked.

"Well, April and Holly are kind of lazy," Rachel said. "Ryder and Marley have been the ones who are really leading the glee club. April and Holly - they just don't know what they're doing."

"Oh dear," Finn said. "I wish we could help."

"Me too," Rachel said. "Maybe on a long weekend we could go visit and see what we could do."

"They need someone like Finn," Santana said. "Seriously Finn, I wish I'd been there. I could have given her a taste of Lima Heights Adjacent."

x

Finn arrived at the school a little early before the next glee rehearsal. Artie would be getting there soon as well, but Finn had to pick up some paperwork in the school office. When Finn stopped into the office, the principal came over to him. "Hi Finn."

"Hi," Finn said. He was glad the principal knew who he was.

"Can I talk to you in my office for a moment?" the principal asked.

Finn gulped. Why would the principal want to talk to him? Was he in trouble?

"Okay," Finn said, following the principal inside.

"Mr. Hudson, it's my understanding that you kicked a student out of the glee club?" the principal asked.

Finn sighed. There was no point in pretending it wasn't true. "Yes, I did."

The principal looked at Finn. "Mr. Hudson, we do not kick students out of extracurricular activities at this school. I don't know what things were like at your high school, but here, everyone is welcome in every activity."

That was nice in theory, but some activities would be better off without certain students. "I'm sorry, but she had a horrible attitude and she was bringing down the group. I felt like I didn't have any other options."

"Finn, did you ever try to work with her?"

"I tried being patient. I tried explaining to her she wasn't quite ready for the big solos but she didn't listen to me," Finn explained. "She kept insulting me and being rude and acting out."

The principal looked interested. "Well, if this continues, you can consider giving her a warning, and we'll see if this continues. In the meantime, you have to try to work with her."

Finn had spent the last few weeks trying to work with her. This wasn't a class. It was an extracurricular. It's not like she had to be there. But he had to respect the school rules. "Okay."

"We are sorry she's been difficult, Mr. Hudson," the principal continued. "But we want all these kids to have the best high school experience they possibly can, and if they get kicked out of activities, they won't have that."

"I understand," Finn said. He didn't like this, but he did understand.

"Thank you, Mr. Hudson," the principal said. "Let's call her down here."

Finn sighed. "Okay."

The principal called Ariana's teacher, and a few minutes later, she was in the office. Ariana glared at Finn when she came in, and the principal looked at Ariana. "Finn has something he'd like to say to you."

Finn faked a smile. He didn't want to do this. But he wanted to keep his job, and if it was the school policy, it was the school policy. "I just wanted to say that it was wrong of me to kick you out of the glee club, and would like to invite you to rejoin. I was out of line, and I'm sorry."

"You're only letting me back in because I told the principal, right?" Ariana asked.

"Finn wasn't aware of our school policy about not kicking students out of extracurricular activities," the principal said. "This is only his first year on faculty."

Ariana made a face. "Whatever."

Finn groaned. Did she want him to kick her out again? No, he couldn't.

"The point is," the principal continued, "Finn didn't know that we can't kick students out of activities."

"And I'm sorry," Finn said. He was sorry - sorry for the other kids in the group.

"Okay," Ariana said, getting up and leaving Finn with the principal.

"We have heard that she acts out in her classes, too," the principal told Finn when they were alone. "I don't know what the story is. Her parents think she's special and perfect, so they've probably passed that mindset on to her."

Finn nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

"Just come here if you need me, okay?" the principal asked.

"Okay," Finn sighed. He picked up the papers and went to the choir room, where Artie was waiting. "Bad news."

"What?" Artie asked.

"We have to let her back in," Finn sighed.

"What?" Artie gasped.

"Yeah," Finn said. "The school's making me."

"Oh no," Artie groaned.

"I don't want to let her back in either," Finn said. "But if the school's going to make us, that's the school policy."

"Yeah," Artie said. "I just wonder what the other kids will think."

"I don't think they'll be happy," Finn said. "I just have to follow the rules, Artie." Being an adult was about doing things you didn't want to do. And this was one of those things.

"How are you going to tell the kids?" Artie asked.

Finn sighed. "I'll just have to tell them."

As the students started to arrive, Finn saw Ariana come in and other kids exchanging looks, wondering why she was there. Once everyone was there, Finn spoke. "At our last practice, I made a mistake. I was unaware that it is against school policy to kick students out of extracurricular activities, and I wanted to apologize for doing that." He felt slightly embarrassed to have made a mistake in front of his students, but this could be a learning experience. "Okay, let's get started."

x

As rehearsal ended for the day, Rupert and Sidney came up to Rachel. "Rachel, you said you wanted to try out for Fanny?" Sidney asked.

Rachel looked at them. "Yes."

"Well, can you have something prepared after rehearsal tomorrow?" Rupert asked.

Tomorrow? The director and the producer wanted her to have something prepared in 24 hours? This was crazy! "Well..."

"We aren't opening it up to the public just yet," Rupert said. "But we'll give you an opportunity to try out."

Rachel had spent weeks contemplating what to do for her original audition. How was she supposed to have something ready so soon?

Then it came to her. Did they have her do this so soon so that she'd mess up and they would have an excuse not to give her the part?

"If you don't try out tomorrow, you can go to the general tryouts," Sidney said. "But if you do this, we will give you preferential consideration."

Rachel sighed. "Okay, I'll have something ready tomorrow." She had to get to the diner anyway. Luckily for Rachel, Kurt and Santana were both at the diner when she arrived, so she could talk to them.

"How were the crazy directors today?" Santana asked as Rachel arrived.

Rachel sighed. "They want me to try out for Fanny TOMORROW."

"Tomorrow?" Kurt asked. "Are they nuts?"

"Yeah!" Rachel said. "I'm working tonight, I have classes during the day... so they think I can just throw something together? It feels like they're just doing this because they know this isn't adequate time to prepare and they know I won't do well."

"That's insane," Kurt said. "Those producers and directors are insane."

"I don't know why they still have jobs," Rachel said. "The way they treat me - it's so unprofessional..."

"Maybe you should try to take them down," Santana suggested.

"I've wanted this part my whole life," Rachel admitted. "I just... I wish these weren't the people who were involved with it."

x

"They made me take her back," Finn complained to Rachel as they sat in their bedroom that night."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said, kissing Finn. "How did things go today?"

"Well, today she wasn't as big a pain," Finn said. "But maybe that's because she got the principal involved."

"That's something, right?" Rachel asked.

Finn shrugged. "I guess, so how was your day?"

Rachel sighed. "Not so good. They want me to try out for Fanny Brice TOMORROW."

"Tomorrow?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I don't even know why they're doing this."

"Maybe they want to see how you do under pressure," Finn suggested.

"I have a feeling it's because they'll hope I crack," Rachel said. "They don't like me, Finn, and I know it. Just because of the whole tour thing."

"Well, you're going to have to find the perfect song to sing tomorrow, then," Finn said. "Something that will give them no other choice but to give you the part."

"What do you think I should do?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know," Finn said. "Maybe do something that you've never done before so the performance will be authentic."

There were plenty of songs that Rachel had never done before. But what would she do? "I'll need to look around for one."

"Try to find something Rachel Hudson," Finn said. "Something that's you."

Well, maybe there was a possibilty. "I did take a songwriting class my first year..."

"Then find those songs and do one of them," Finn said. "You did do Get It Right for them once and that worked out."

"Yeah, I guess," Rachel admitted. She began going through her desk and then found the notebook from the songwriting class. Finn looked over Rachel's shoulder as they began to read over the songs. Eventually Finn pointed at one page. "You should do that one."

Rachel looked at the page. This was a song she'd written to try to make herself feel better when she felt bad about missing home. "This one?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "I just... I can see you doing so well with it."

"I never even submitted that one to the class," Rachel admitted.

"That makes it even better," Finn said. "This'll be the first time anyone's heard it."

"You think?" Rachel asked.

"I know," Finn said.

"Okay," Rachel said. "I'll let you know how things go tomorrow."

"And I look forward to hearing," Finn said.

x

Rachel still wasn't sure if this song was the best choice for her re-audition.

It was like she told Finn, she'd never even submitted this song to the songwriting class. It was in her notebook, sure, but she was a bit sensitive about it. It was about a tough time in her life, and she was worried that the professors and the other students would know that.

But the director and producer wouldn't know that. And Finn always seemed to know the right songs for Rachel to sing. So this would be worth a try.

At the end of rehearsal, Rupert and Sidney came up to Rachel. "Are you ready for your audition?" Sidney asked.

Rachel sighed. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Well, give the music to the piano player and we can get started," Rupert said.

Rachel was going to cooperate. Even if she didn't get the part, at least they were giving her another chance. She handed the sheet music to the piano player and turned to the producer and director. "This is a song I wrote during a songwriting class at NYADA," she said as the music began.

_Break down, break down, break down  
>I was scared to death I was losing my mind<br>Break down  
>I couldn't close my eyes I was pacing all night, oh, no,<br>I think I found the light at the end of the tunnel (and my doubts)  
>I couldn't find the truth I was going under<br>But I won't hide inside  
>I gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out<br>Lonely inside and light the fuse  
>Light it now, light it now, light it now<br>And now I will start living today, today, today  
>I close the door<br>I got this new beginning and I will fly  
>I'll fly like a cannonball, like a cannonball, like a cannonball<br>I'll fly, I'll fly, I'll fly like a cannonball  
>Freedom<br>I let go of fear and the peace came quickly  
>Freedom<br>I was in the dark and then it hit me  
>I chose suffering and pain in the falling rain<br>I know, I gotta get out into the world again  
>But I won't hide inside<br>I gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out  
>Lonely inside and light the fuse<br>Light it now, light it now, light it now  
>And now I will start living today, today, today<br>I close the door  
>I got this new beginning and I will fly<br>I'll fly like a cannonball, like a cannonball, like a cannonball  
>I'll fly, I'll fly, I'll fly like a cannonball<br>Break down  
>I was scared to death I was losing my mind<br>Break down  
>I gotta get out into the world again<br>And now I will start living today, today, today  
>I close the door<br>I got this new beginning and I will fly  
>I'll fly like a cannonball, like a cannonball, like a cannonball<br>I'll fly, I'll fly, I'll fly like a cannonball, like a cannonball, like a cannonball  
>I'll fly, I'll fly, I'll fly like a cannonball<em>

At the end of the song, Rachel noticed that Rupert and Sidney were looking impressed. They hadn't been giving her looks like that in a while. Maybe they weren't even meaning to look at her like that. What she did know was that they looked impressed with what she'd just done.

"Thank you, Rachel," Rupert said. "We'll let you know."

"Thank you," Rachel said.

x

"I hope Rachel's okay," Finn said as he sat in the two bedroom apartment, watching a football game with Blaine, Sam and Artie.

"Hey, I'm sure she's fine," Sam said. "You don't need to worry so much."  
>"Wouldn't you be worried if Mercedes had a big tryout?" Finn asked Sam.<p>

"Well... yes," Sam admitted.

"Gotcha!" Finn teased.

"Finn, if anything was going wrong, Rachel would have contacted you," Blaine pointed out. "I know. I'm married to her twinsie."

"Yeah," Finn said when he heard a knock on the door. He turned to Sam and Artie. "One of you should answer that. Blaine and I do officially live down the hall."

"Please," Artie said. "All nine of us live in both apartments. The only difference is who sleeps where."

"Yeah, but outsiders don't know that," Blaine pointed out.

"Point," Sam said. "I'll go get it." He went to the door and smiled at the other guys when he opened it. "Look who's here!"

Finn looked up and saw Ryder, Marley, Jake, Kitty, and Kylie. "Oh my God! What are you guys doing here!"

"The four of us came to New York for the long weekend to visit colleges," Jake said.

"Well, I came to see Artie, too," Kitty said, running on to her boyfriend's lap.

"Yeah, and I figured I'd come with them, to see Rachel, Shelby and Beth," Kylie added.

"Well, we're all happy to see you guys," Blaine said.

"We're glad to be here," Kitty said, snuggling with Artie.

"So, where are Kurt and the girls?" Marley asked.

"Rachel's at rehearsal, Santana's at Dani's, Kurt's hanging out with Elliott and Mercedes and Tina are both at work," Blaine said. "I'm sure they'll be so excited you guys are here though."

"Do you know how Rachel's audition today went?" Kylie asked Finn.

"I don't," Finn said. "Hopefully it went okay."

"Speaking of Broadway people, how's it going with Harmony in your apartment?" Ryder asked.

"Oh, that," Blaine said. "She's... Harmony. She's loud, she makes demands..."

"Yeah, that sounds like Harmony," Kitty said. "I bet she'll try out for Fanny Brice, too."

Why hadn't Finn thought of that? Harmony probably would try out for Fanny as well... and he knew Harmony was someone who intimidated Rachel... He tried to take his mind off things. "So, how are things at McKinley, other than what Kylie's been telling Rachel?"

"We're all doing our best to keep the glee club in top form," Marley said. "It would just be so much better if Mr. Schue was still there."

"At least we have the four of you still," Kylie said. "I don't know what we'd do without you guys..."

"Well, you and Jack are going to be great captains next year," Ryder told Kylie.

Finn heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. He saw Rachel. "Hey babe. How was your audition?"

Rachel smiled. "I think it went okay."

"Okay?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "They actually looked like they enjoyed it... oh my God!" She ran to hug her sister. "I had no idea you guys were coming!"

"Oh, it was a spur of the moment type thing," Kitty said. "We figured since it's a long weekend and we have someplace to stay, we'd come visit colleges in New York this weekend, and Kylie thought she'd come with us to see you and your mom and other sister."

"Well, I'm so glad you guys are here!" Rachel said. "Are all four of you looking at schools in New York?"

"Well, not just in New York," Jake said. "But there are definitely schools here."

"Speak for yourself," Kitty said. "I'm coming to New York for college for sure."

Marley looked from Blaine to Rachel. "Do you think I have a shot at NYADA?"

"Definitely," Blaine said. "Rachel and Kurt and I will vouch for you."

"I'd really love it if you guys came here," Finn said. "It'll be so amazing, having our New York family keep growing."

_Chapter 9 preview: It's Halloween in New York and the New Yorkers get to celebrate it for the first time since moving there! Big news for a couple as well..._

_SONG: Cannonball by Lea Michele (original song by Rachel Berry for the context of this chapter)_

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 9!_


	9. Chapter 9: Halloween

_Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2015 brings great things for you guys. Hard to believe the year with the Glee final season is actually here. I've said this before, but I really appreciate those of you who've stuck with me this long. I know that with Finchel no longer on the show, many people have lost interest in Finchel fanfics, and it means a lot to me that a few people are still reading mine. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
><em>

Chapter 9: Halloween

Rachel was tired.

She didn't know why she was so tired. She'd wanted to just go home after the audition, but she had to stay for regular practices. Luckily, now she could finally go home, and not a minute too soon.

Maybe it as just all the stress of the show and trying out for the lead role. She had no idea why she'd thrown up in the morning. Maybe she'd eaten something weird...

Luckily, she was home now. She knocked on the door and went inside, surprised to see some people who didn't live in New York there.

"Hey!" Rachel said, hugging Kylie, Marley, Kitty, Ryder and Jake. "What are you guys all doing here?"

"Well, the four of us are looking at colleges, and when we told Kylie we were coming to New York, she thought she'd come to visit with you and your mom and other sister," Ryder explained.

"That's so exciting," Rachel said. "Plus, I bet it's nice for you guys to have a little break from everything at McKinley."

"Yes," Kitty groaned. "I wish Artie was directing our musical."

"It's craziness there," Jake added. "April and Holly don't take it seriously enough. We could potentially get music scholarships this year, but we're not going to get music scholarships if we don't win anything."

"Yeah, and I'm hoping to get into NYADA," Marley added. "I know I'm not into Broadway like you and Kurt and Blaine, but I could just do the vocal music program."

"Yeah, you could," Rachel said.

"So, how was your audition?" Finn asked Rachel.

"I sang that song you suggested I sing," Rachel said.

"And?" Finn asked.

"They told me 'they'd let me know,'" Rachel sighed. "It's just so unpredictable. I want to just know, one way or the other. I'm just glad I'm home now. I'm so tired."

"Are you okay?" Finn asked.

"I'm fine," Rachel said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that audition," a voice said. The group turned as Harmony came in. "I'm going to be playing Fanny Brice."

"Oh really?" Santana asked.

"Yeah really," Harmony shot back.

Rachel should have known Harmony would want to try out. Since she was still at the apartment, she was hearing about the show a lot.

"So, Harmony, how's the search for a permanent residence going?" Blaine asked.

"Oh, this is my permanent residence," Harmony said. "Although I'm tired of sleeping in the alcove I made for myself in the living room, so could one of you guys maybe move into there..."

Santana got up. "Harmony, we told you a few weeks! It's been more than a few weeks. Don't you want a real place to stay?"

"This is a real place," Harmony said.

Rachel sighed. "You know what she meant."

"I like it here," Harmony said. "Even though you guys have lots of bad food around. I'm going to go to the fitness center. I'll be back."

When Harmony left, the visitors looked at the residents. "How do you guys tolerate her?" Kitty asked.

"It's not easy," Rachel said. "Sometimes we just want peace and quiet."

x

Rachel knocked on Shelby's door. Since Kylie was in town, the two of them had decided to go together to visit their mother while the other visitors from Ohio went to look at colleges. "How's she doing?" Kylie asked Rachel as they waited.

"She seems better," Rachel said. "I think this drug might be the one."

Shelby came to the door. "Girls! Kylie, I didn't expect you."

"Oh, this was a last minute thing," Kylie said. "Some of my senior friends are visiting New York to look at colleges, so I thought I'd come with them to see you, Rachel and Beth."

"I'm glad you came," Shelby said. "Come on in, both of you. I'm actually glad you're here, because there was something I wanted to tell you girls."

Rachel and Kylie exchanged a worried look. Could this drug also have ultimately failed? "Well, tell us then," Rachel said.

"My last chemo is next month," Shelby said. "My doctors are going to do another scan to see how things are, but they don't think that any more treatments are going to be needed."

"So you're saying that you might be in remission?" Kylie asked.

"We're going to do a scan to find out, but that is what it seems like," Shelby confirmed.

The girls went over to hug their mom. "That's such great news!" Rachel said.

"I know," Shelby said. "I wanted to tell you girls first."

"Yeah, I'm glad you could," Rachel said. "I'd come over more, but things are so overwhelming with trying out for the lead role..."

"How's that going?" Shelby asked.

Rachel stopped. "I like to think my audition went well, but who knows? My director isn't exactly my biggest fan."

"That's stupid," Kylie said. "Your director takes things too seriously."

"Yeah," Rachel continued. "When I got my hair cut, they got mad. When I was five minutes late one day, they got mad. When I spilled my water, they were mad... they look for excuses to get mad at me."

"Maybe the producer and the director are the ones who should be replaced," Shelby said.

"They're renowed," Rachel said. "You're always going to have to work with people you don't work well with."

"That is true," Shelby said. "So, Kylie, how are the new directors of glee club?"

"Well, at least April doesn't show up drunk," Kylie said.

"April Rhodes?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Kylie confirmed. "She's a friend of Mr. Schue's from when he was in glee club. She's a good singer, but she showed up drunk once."

"A bit unprofessional," Shelby said. "But I think I remember her..."

"Our other director is Holly Holiday," Kylie said. "She's cool, but she can't really stay on task."

"April Rhodes was the one who did that failed all white production of The Wiz, right?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Then she did a show called Crossrhodes: The April Rhodes Story. One of the guys in it won a Tony."

"I didn't see that one," Shelby said. "Girls, you might both be going through rough patches, but don't give up. You're both too talented for the world to be deprived."

Rachel had to smile. "Thanks, Mom."

Beth came downstairs. "Rachel! Kylie!"

Shelby smiled at Beth. "Yeah, look who came to visit."

Beth ran over to hug both her big sisters. "You've gotten so big!" Kylie said.

"I'm four and a half!" Beth declared.

"Yeah, that is big," Rachel said.

"Halloween's next week," Beth said. "I'm going to be a witch."

"A witch?" Rachel asked. "That's a pretty fun costume!"

"Yeah!" Beth said. "Puck and Quinn are taking me trick or treating!"

"They are?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah!" Beth said.

"They called and asked if they could," Shelby said.

"Do you think Finn and I could come, too?" Rachel asked Beth.

"Yes!" Beth said.

x

It was Halloween night, and Finn and Rachel were taking Beth trick or treating along with Puck and Quinn. Puck and Quinn had dressed up as Beauty and the Beast (Puck had told Finn that Quinn wanted them to be Cinderella and Prince Charming, but he'd insisted on Beauty and the Beast since they were a beauty and a beast...) and Rachel and Finn dressed as Anna and Kristoff from Frozen. Beth absolutely loved the costumes that the four adults taking her trick or treating were wearing, and Finn had to admit - Halloween in New York was pretty awesome. Last year they hadn't really gotten to enjoy it because their apartment had been broken into and it took their mind off things. The decorations at some of these houses were unbelievable, almost like haunted houses. Beth was a very enthusiastic trick or treater, and at times it was hard for the chaperones to keep up with her. Eventually, Puck and Finn were both carrying some of the candy.

After a few hours of trick or treating, the girls decided Beth had enough candy, so the group began to head back to Shelby and Beth's townhouse. "Did you have a nice Halloween?" Rachel asked Beth.

"Yeah!" Beth said. "This is the most candy I've ever gotten."

"I wonder what your mommy will think when she sees all this candy," Finn said. "My mommy would never let me get that much."

"I'll save some of it," Beth guessed.

"I always had trouble saving my candy," Finn admitted.

"Hey Quinn, I have something for you," Puck said. "You do have to say trick or treat though.

Quinn looked a bit confused. Finn was confused too. "Trick or treat?"

Puck reached into his pocket and handed Quinn a small box. Quinn looked surprised, and Finn had a feeling he knew what this was. Quinn opened the box. "Oh my God... is this..."

Puck took the box back and knelt down in front of Quinn. "Quinn, I love you. I've always loved you, which is why even when you were with Finn, I broke the bro code and went after you. Ever since we started living together, it's confirmed to me that you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. No one makes me feel the way you do, and I hope I can do that for you, too. So - will you marry me?"

Quinn smiled bigger than Finn had ever seen. "YES!"

"This is amazing!" Rachel said as she and Finn hugged their friends. "Congratulations, you guys!"

"Yeah, congratulations," Finn added. "Dude, you managed to keep this a secret."

"I didn't want to risk you telling Rachel," Puck said. "Jake knew though. He's already agreed to be my best man. And my mom knew, but no one else."

"Wow," Finn said. "Well, Blaine and Sam knew that I was going to propose to Rachel."

"So you're getting married?" Beth asked Quinn and Puck."

"Yeah, we are!" Puck said. "I wanted you to be here when I asked her."

"Yay!" Beth exclaimed.

"Would you like to be the flower girl?" Quinn asked Beth. "Like you were at Finn and Rachel's wedding?"

"Yeah! That was fun!" Beth said.

"Great," Quinn said. "And I can get my nephew to be the ring bearer. Rachel, would you like to be one of my bridesmaids?"

"Of course!" Rachel said.

"And Finn, you'll be a groomsmen, right?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, I'd love to," Finn said. "This is so exciting."

"Let's go home and eat my candy and tell my mommy!" Beth said.

As Finn, Rachel, Quinn and Puck began following Beth back to Shelby's house, Puck leaned over and whispered to Finn. "I'm just so glad she could be here when I proposed to Quinn."

"Well, her birth parents are getting married, it's pretty awesome," Finn whispered back.

"Do you think she'll ever find out who we really are?" Puck asked.

"I'm sure Shelby will tell her eventually," Finn whispered.

The group got back to Shelby's house, and Beth knocked on the door. "Mommy! Mommy!"

Shelby got to the door. "Hi, everyone! Did you guys have fun!"

"Yeah!" Beth said.

Shelby looked at the four young adults. "Thank you so much for taking her."

"You know we love being with her," Quinn said.

"Mommy, Quinn and Puck are getting married!" Beth announced.

Shelby looked at Puck and Quinn. "Really? Why didn't you tell me?"  
>"I just proposed to her right before we got home," Puck said. "I wanted Beth to be there when I proposed, so..."<p>

"That's wonderful news!" Shelby said.

"Yeah!" Beth said, already sorting through her candy. "And I'm going to be the flower girl!"

"We wouldn't want anyone else," Quinn said.

x

"I bet the others are going to be so excited you two are engaged!" Rachel said as she and Finn led Quinn and Puck back to their apartment. Beth had gone to bed, and Quinn and Puck would be spending the night at Shelby's, but they wanted to go to the apartments so they could tell the other glee alumni the big news.

"Well, this'll be the big time to ask lots of our potential wedding party," Quinn said. "I've also got to call my sister to see if she'll be maid of honor."

"So, how long were you thinking about doing this?" Finn asked Puck.

"A while," Puck said. "I knew once we started living together, and seeing you and Rachel and Kurt and Blaine get married confirmed it for me. But like I said, I knew I wanted Beth to be there when it happened."

"I'm glad she was there," Quinn said. "Do you think that Shelby will ever let us tell her?"

Finn didn't know. He looked at Rachel. She would probably be the most likely to know. "I'm sure she will," Rachel said. "Probably just waiting for the right time."

The group arrived back at Finn and Rachel's apartment. "Let's see what the others think of the fact that we've got another wedding underway!" While Finn and Rachel took Beth trick or treating, Kurt, Blaine and Santana had Sam, Artie, Mercedes and Tina over to pass out candy. Finn and Rachel unlocked the door to go in.

"Oh, good, you guys are here," Sam said. "We were about to start that Halloween movie..."

"Hocus Pocus," Mercedes interrupted her boyfriend.

"Yeah, that one," Sam said. "So, how was trick-or-treating?"

"It was good," Finn said, not wanting to be the one to share the news."

"Beauty and the Beast are getting married," Quinn announced, holding up her ring finger.

"Are you serious?" Mercedes asked. "That's amazing."

"Yup," Puck said. "I wanted Beth to be there when I asked her to marry me, so I thought tonight would be a good night."

"That's so exciting," Tina said.

"Are you glad that the nerves about proposing are gone?" Blaine asked. "That was the worst part for me. I was worried he'd say no."

"Of course I said yes!" Kurt said.

"Yeah, I was worried, too," Puck said.

"I'm so happy," Quinn said. "I already asked Rachel, but will you girls be my bridesmaids?"

"Of course!" Santana said as Mercedes and Tina also said they would. "I hope you'll get Brittany too, so we can have the entire unholy trinity."

"I definitely will," Quinn said. "I'll also ask my sister, and Puck, do you think Sara would do it, too?"

"I bet she would," Puck said. "While we're on the subject, Finn already agreed to it, but how would you guys feel about being groomsmen?"

"Of course yo!" Artie said.

"And I get to help with the wedding planning, right?" Kurt asked.

"You do," Quinn said.

"We bought a bunch of Halloween candy if you guys would like some of the extra," Blaine said.

"I'd love some," Finn said.

"Of course you would," Rachel told her husband. "Let's have some and watch the movie."

_Chapter 10 preview: Opening night is coming up for the school musicals in both New York and Lima! Will both events be a success?_

_15 reviews unlock Chapter 10!_


	10. Chapter 10: Opening Nights

_Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews on Chapter 9. They mean a lot to me. Quick will definitely get married sometime this season, though I don't know when yet. I'm sorry for not much Rachel in this chapter, but she'll be in the next few a lot! And so will the other gleeks! I also wanted to ask you guys something: someone left me a review saying there's been too much focus on Finchel in my stories - is that true? I do try to include others, I just feel most comfortable with Finchel. Enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!_

Chapter 10: Opening Nights

Opening night was coming closer and closer for the musical with the glee club Finn was leading, and to say that he was nervous was an understatement. Yes, he'd been working hard with these kids, and they sounded good in rehearsals, but this was the real thing.

Finn sat in his room working on his homework when he got an alert for an incoming skype call. He looked and saw that it was Ryder, so he decided to answer the call. "Hey!"

"Hey," Ryder said. "So, are you ready for opening night?"

"I hope so," Finn said. "It's just a week away..."

"Ours is only a few days away," Ryder said. "I don't know if we're ready."

"From what you've told me, Marley and you have been doing a great job at leading the group," Finn said, trying to be reassuring.

"We're not real leaders though," Ryder said. "We're just members. April and Holly are cool... but they can just..."

Finn wished he could come for a little while to help out. But with the opening night coming up for his glee club, he couldn't take time off. "I'll give April and Holly a call, okay?"

"That sounds good," Ryder said. "Thanks, Finn."

After talking ith Ryder, Finn couldn't help but think about the group he'd begun his directing career with. It was hard to believe that the youngest kids from that group were seniors now. And opening night for them was this weekend...

Rachel came into the bedroom. "Hey honey."

"Hey babe," Finn said.

Rachel sat down. "What's up?"

Finn sighed. "I was just talking to Ryder. The glee club's pretty stressed about opening night coming up."

"Do you think maybe we could make a quick trip back to Ohio to go?" Rachel asked.

Finn had that thought in the back of his mind. He wanted to go. But could he leave his own glee club this close to their opening night? "I don't know..."

"Opening night is on a Saturday," Rachel pointed out. "And you don't have glee rehearsal then. If we drove in on Saturday, we could get back in time for your rehearsal on Monday."

Finn smiled at Rachel. "That sounds great."

"I think they'd appreciate you being there," Rachel said. "I know all of us kind of have a connection to them as former members ourselves, but you have a special bond with them. You're the one who was thier first leader."

Finn gave Rachel a kiss. "I love you, you know that?"

x

A few days later, Finn and Rachel walked through the halls of McKinley, on their way to opening night of Fiddler On The Roof. Rachel's dads had rented a car for them, and Shelby had picked it up for them, since they were too young to officially rent a car. Now they were taking a quick walk through the halls, looking around the place where they'd first really gotten to know each other.

"There's the choir room," Rachel said, pointing.

"I know," Finn said. He peered in, looking at the trophy case. "We had some great times in there."

"Yes we did," Rachel agreed.

"Finn! Rachel!" Finn and Rachel turned to see Mr. Schuester walking towards them, with Mrs. Schuester pushing a stroller close behind him.

"Hey!" Rachel said as she and Finn went to hug their former teacher and counselor.

"We weren't expecting to see you," Finn said.

"We weren't expecting to see you, either," Mr. Schue said.

"It was kind of a last minute thing," Finn said. "Ryder told me that they're really stressed about the show coming up, so we thought we'd come to support them."

"Yeah, my school has a four day weekend, so I thought we could come home and visit all our friends," Mr. Schue said. "We had lunch with Coach Beiste today, and yesterday we visited the glee club."

"How's the glee club doing?" Rachel asked. "We're in contact with the seniors and my sister, and they say that it's different now."

"Well, it does seem different," Mr. Schue admitted. "But I did talk to April and Holly about making a successful glee club."

"His glee club out in LA is fantastic," Mrs. Schuester said. "Not like you guys, of course, but they're really good."

"That's great," Finn said. "When's your Sectionals?"

"In two weeks. What about yours?" Mr. Schue asked.

"The weekend before Thanksgiving," Finn said. "We're competing against the School for the Performing Arts, but I think we might have a shot. They've been working really hard, and they're so talented."

"They are," Rachel added. "And they have a great man leading them."

"Awww," Finn said.

Daniel Schuester looked over at Finn and Rachel, as if he was wondering who they were. Mrs. Schuester picked her son up out of his stroller. "Honey, look, it's your godparents," she said.

"Hi, little guy," Rachel said softly. She smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Schuester. "He's such a cutie."

"My parents are very happy he eneded up having red hair," Mrs. Schuester said.

Finn and Rachel both laughed. "Let's get to the auditorium," Finn said. He led his wife to the auditorium, where they managed to get two seats next to their former teacher and counselor. Soon, the curtain went up for the opening number. As the lead, Ryder would be leading the number, but many of the new members of New Directions had parts in this number as well, so it would be nice for Finn and Rachel to get to hear them.

_Ryder: A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask, why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home... And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word... Tradition.  
>Cast: Tradition, tradition... tradition<br>Tradition, tradition... tradition  
>Ryder: Because of our traditions, we've kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything... how to eat, how to sleep, even, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl... This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition start? I'll tell you - I don't know. But it's a tradition... Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do.<br>Boys: Who day and night  
>Must scramble for a living<br>Feed the wife and children  
>Say his daily prayers<br>And who has the right  
>As master of the house<br>To have the final word at home?  
>Cast: The papa, the papas... tradition<br>The papa, the papas... tradition  
>Girls: Who must know the way to make a proper home<br>A quiet home, a kosher home  
>Who must raise a family and run the home<br>So papa's free to read the holy book?  
>Cast: The mama, the mama... tradition<br>The mama, the mama... tradition  
>Boys: At three I started Hebrew school<br>At ten I learned a trade  
>I hear they picked a bride for me<br>I hope... she's pretty  
>Cast: The sons, the sons... tradition<br>The sons, the sons... tradition  
>Girls: And who does mama teach<br>To mend and tend and fix  
>Preparing me to marry<br>Whoever papa picks?  
>Cast: The daughters, the daughters... tradition<br>Ryder: I have five daughters!  
>Cast: The daughters, the daughters... tradition<br>Tradition  
>Tradition<br>Ryder: And in the circle of our little village, we have always had our special types. For instance, Yente, the matchmaker...  
>Sara: Avram, I have a perfect match for your son. A wonderful girl.<br>Spencer: Who is it?  
>Sara: Ruchel, the shoemaker's daughter.<br>Spencer: Ruchel? But she can hardly see. She's almost blind.  
>Sara: Tell the truth, Avram, is your son so much to look at? The way she sees and the way he looks, it's a perfect match.<br>Ryder: And Nahum, the beggar...  
>Roderick: Alms for the poor, alms for the poor...<br>Mason: Here, Reb Nahum, is one kopek.  
>Roderick: One kopek? Last week you geve me two kopeks.<br>Mason: I had a bad week.  
>Roderick: So, if you had a bad week, why should I suffer?<br>Ryder: And most important, our beloved Rabbi...  
>Jake: Rabbi, may I ask you a question?<br>Ben: Certainly, my son.  
>Jake: Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?<br>Ben: A blessing for the tsar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Tsar... far away from us!  
>Ryder: And among ourselves, we get along perfectly well. Of course, there was the time when he sold him a horse, but delivered a mule, but that's all settled now. Now we live in simple peace and harmony and...<br>Oliver: It was a horse.  
>James: It was a mule.<br>Cast: Horse!  
>Mule!<br>Horse!  
>Mule!<br>Tradition, tradition... tradition  
>Tradition, tradition... tradition<br>Ryder: Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!_

At the end of the opening number, Finn felt his nerves go away. Even if April and Holly hadn't been the ideal directors, the glee club had still sounded amazing, and the new members had some promise. Clearly, the seniors were great leaders of the club.

At the end of the show, Finn and Rachel went to the choir room with Mr. and Mrs. Schuester. Almost right away, the glee club members saw them. "Well, look who's here," Kitty said. "I hope you reminded Artie to watch the livestreaming before you came."

"Of course we did," Finn said. "You guys were great."

"Why didn't you tell us you guys were coming?" Marley asked.

"We wanted to surprise you," Rachel said.

"Well, it's a nice surprise," Kylie said.

"You guys were great," Rachel said.

"I miss you all so much," Mr. Schue said.

"We miss you too," Jake said. "How's LA?"

"Well, it's much colder here than it is in LA," Mr. Schue said. "LA's good, but I really miss all of you."

"We miss you too, Mr. Schue," Ryder said.

April and Holly came in. "Hey, I got some tacos for everyone for a great show..." Holly began. "Well, look who's here!"

"Hi April. Hi Holly," Mrs. Schuester said.

"The kids did have a great show," Mr. Schue said. "Can I talk to you two?"

"Of course," April said as she and Holly left with Mr. Schuester.

"Guys, you were great," Finn said.

"I wonder what he has to say to them," Ryder said.

"Don't worry," Rachel said.

x

"So you guys enjoyed the show?" Artie asked Finn.

"Yeah, they were great," Finn said. He and Artie were proofreading the program for the musical in New York while they waited for the students to arrive for the dress rehearsal. "Did you guys like it livestream?"

"Yeah, we did," Artie said. "Kitty was amazing."

"They all were," Finn said. "I just hope these guys do well."

"They will," Artie told Finn. "You've been working so hard with them and they sound great."

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I hope."

A few moments later, some of the boys came in. Finn looked at the clock and realized that it was nearly time for the dress rehearsal to start. The boys were here, but there was no sign of the girls. "Where are the girls?" Finn asked.

The boys looked around the room. "I don't know," Mark said.

"Okay," Finn said. "Let's wait a little and see if they get here."

But the girls didn't come. It had been a little while, and the time that Finn had booked the auditorium for was going by. He looked at the boys. "Text the girls and ask them where they are."

The boys got out their phones, and eventually Josh looked at Finn. "You left them notes saying that rehearsal was going to be in the gym today because you couldn't get the auditorium."

Finn didn't know what Josh was talking about. "What? I didn't do that!"

"Caitlin said there was one in her locker, and that's what the other girls were saying, too..."

"That didn't happen..." Finn began. Then it came to him. Ariana must have left those notes. "Well, just tell the girls to come to the auditorium. We have to rehearse."

The girls arrived soon, and Finn got to rehearsing, but at the same time, he couldn't help but think about what Ariana had done. If she was going to do this right before a dress rehearsal, what would she do before the actual show?

Surprisingly, Ariana was cooperative during rehearsal, not complaining once about her chorus role or trying to take over the spotlight. Finn had a feeling this as because she was trying to make herself look innocent. At the end of rehearsal, Finn called Ariana over.

"I hope you were impressed by all my background work," Ariana said.

Finn wasn't going to put up with this. "So, I know about the notes you left in the other girls' lockers."

"What notes?" Ariana asked.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb. The notes about rehearsal being held in the gym instead of here?"

"Yeah, I got that note," Ariana said. "Why did you say rehearsal was going to be in the gym instead of here when it was here?"

Finn resisted the urge to yell. "I know you left those notes, and you know you did, too."

"You have no proof!" Ariana snapped.

"I don't," Finn said. "But I know you're not happy that I didn't cast you as Maria... and it does look suspicious."

"Hey, I'm completely happy to be a background dancer," Ariana said, faking a smile.

Clearly, this was getting Finn nowhere. "Fine. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. But this better not happen again." If something like this did happen again - he was going to talk to the school about seeing if he could ask her to leave the club. He couldn't have this kind of behavior.

"Thank you," Ariana said as she left. "See you tomorrow."

As Ariana left, Finn turned to Artie. "I just... I don't know what to do about her."

"Well, I think the best we can do is text everyone to tell them there's no changes of plans the day of the show."

Finn laughed. "Yeah, we should do that."

x

When Finn got home from rehearsal, Rachel, Kurt, Blaine and Sam were in the living room. "So, how was rehearsal?" Sam asked. "Josh was telling me that the girls got notes saying that rehearsal would be in the gym..."

"Yeah," Finn said, sitting down. "Ariana forged notes from me and put them in all the girls' lockers."

"What a psycho!" Kurt said.

"I know, right?" Finn asked.

"You shouldn't even let her be in the show!" Rachel said.

"I don't want her to," Finn sighed. "But the school will make me."

Rachel jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Finn ran after his wife and saw her throwing up in the toilet. "Are you okay?"

Rachel looked at Finn. "Don't worry. I must have just eaten something weird."

But Finn was worried. Rachel had been sick a lot lately, and her energy was low. He just hoped she was okay.

x

Opening night was here, and to Finn's relief, everyone had shown up on time and in the right place. Everyone except Ariana. He wondered what her absence meant, but since she was only in the chorus, it wouldn't effect the show very much.

Finn stood in the stands as he watched the show with Artie. Rachel, Kurt, Blaine, Sam, Santana, Tina and Mercedes were in the front row to watch. Even Harmony had come with them. Right now, it was time for the first big number of the show to start with Maria and the children. Caitlin was playing Maria, of course, and then the five oldest children were played by members of the choir, while they'd brought in a girl from the feeder elementary school named Kaylee to play the youngest child and a girl from the middle school named Ella to play the second youngest. The first few numbers had been very basic, so Finn was nervous for this one.

_Caitlin: Let's start at the very beginning  
>A very good place to start<br>When you read you begin with  
>Kaylee: A B C<br>Caitlin: When you sing you begin with Do Re Me  
>Do Re Me<br>Von Trapp Children: Do Re Me  
>The first three notes just happen to be<br>Do Re Me,  
>Von Trapp Children: Do Re Me<br>Caitlin: Do Re Me Fa So La Ti  
>Let's see if I can make it easier<em>

_Doe, a deer, a female deer  
>Ray, a drop of golden sun<br>Me, a name I call myself  
>Far, a long long way to run<br>Sew, a needle pulling thread  
>La, a note to follow so<br>Tea, a drink with jam and bread  
>That will bring us back to Do, oh oh oh<em>

_Kaylee: Doe,  
>Caitlin: a deer, a female deer<br>Ella: Ray,  
>Caitlin: a drop of golden sun<br>Caitlin and Von Trapp children: Me, a name I call myself  
>Far, a long long way to run<br>Sew, a needle pulling thread  
>La, a note to follow so<br>Tea, a drink with jam and bread  
>That will bring us back to<em>

_Doe, a deer, a female deer  
>Ray, a drop of golden sun<br>Me, a name I call myself  
>Far, a long long way to run<br>Sew, a needle pulling thread  
>La, a note to follow so<br>Tea, a drink with jam and bread  
>That will bring us back to Do<em>

_Do Re Me Fa So La Ti Do, So Do_

_Caitlin: Now children, Do Re Me Fa So and so on  
>Are only the tools we use to build a song<br>Once you have these notes in your heads  
>You can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up<br>Like this_

_So Do La Fa Me Do Re  
>Can you do that?<br>Von Trapp Children: So Do La Fa Me Do Re  
>Caitlin: So Do La Ti Do Re Do<br>Von Trapp Children: So Do La Ti Do Re Do  
>Caitlin: Now, put it all together<em>

_Von Trapp Children: So Do La Fa Mi Do Re  
>So Do La Ti Do Re Do<br>Caitlin: Good  
>Rebecca: But it doesn't mean anything?'<br>Caitlin: So we put in words  
>One word for every note, like this<em>

_When you know the notes to sing  
>You can sing most anything<br>Together  
>Caitlin and Von Trapp children: When you know the notes to sing<br>You can sing most anything_

_Doe, a deer, a female deer  
>Ray, a drop of golden sun<br>Me, a name I call myself  
>Far, a long long way to run<br>Sew, a needle pulling thread  
>La, a note to follow so<br>Tea, a drink with jam and bread  
>That will bring us back to Do<em>

At the end of the number, the crowd was cheering, and Finn could see the kids on the stage looking so happy. It was at this moment he knew he was doing something right with these kids. If they could perform at Sectionals like they were performing tonight, they'd be going to Seattle for Nationals for sure.

_SONGS: Tradition from Fiddler On The Roof and Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music_

_Chapter 11 preview: Finn finally convinces Rachel to go to the doctor and see what's up. Meanwhile, Finn takes his glee club to Sectionals, and something big happens with Funny Girl._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 11!_


	11. Chapter 11: Sectionals

_Hi guys! Thanks for all your reviews on Chapter 10. I really enjoyed reading them. I hope those of you who watched Glee last night enjoyed it, or at least enjoyed Finchel-less Glee as much as one can. Enjoy this chapter and review if you want me to keep going!_

Chapter 11: Sectionals

Rachel sat in her room working on her homework when her phone rang. She looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Rupert. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Rachel, this is Rupert," Rupert said.

"Hi," Rachel said.

"I was calling to ask, would you be able to perform on the 22nd?" Rupert asked. "Marissa's doing publicity for the tour that day..."

Rachel looked at the calendar. The 22nd was Finn's Sectionals. She couldn't perform that day. "I'm sorry. I can't. My husband's glee club has their Sectional competition that day."

Rupert sounded annoyed. "Rachel, is this even a priority for you?"

Of course it was. But Rachel remembered the days when Broadway was the only thing that defined her. She wasn't happy back in those days. Everyone hated her except her dads. "Yes, of course it is! On days where I'm on call, I'm always there. I'm always at rehearsals on time!"

"Well, why are you going to your husband's Sectionals instead of performing?" Rupert asked.

"Well, I want balance in my life," Rachel said. "I want to support him. He's an amazing leader, but he's nervous. And nothing is more important to me than my husband."

"This should be more important to you than your husband," Rupert said.

Rachel tried to resist the urge to yell at him. "I'm sorry, but I'm not performing on the 22nd."

x

With Sectionals so soon, Finn was getting more and more nervous. He'd seen the videos of the glee club from School for the Performing Arts practicing online and they were good. Really good.

Kids needed to audition to get that school, and Finn was coaching a glee club at a regular school. But he needed to act confident. These kids were depending on him.

At least they didn't have to worry about a setlist since Finn had decided to have them use their three best songs from the musical as their setlist. He sat down at the desk as the students began filing in.

She came in. Ariana. Finn looked at her. "We were sorry that you didn't show up for any performances for the musical."

"Well, I don't see the point in wasting my energy on swaying in the background," Ariana snapped.

"Hey, don't say that," a voice said. Finn turned and saw Caitlin. "Everyone needs to do their part. And maybe you're not a star yet, but you're only a freshman. You might get there, some day."

Finn felt a strong reminder of Rachel. He knew Caitlin had the talent and ambition and love of the spotlight that Rachel had, but this was the first time he'd seen that she also had the leadership qualities Rachel had.

"Yeah," Finn said. "You never know, you could be a soloist, one day."

Ariana groaned, but at least she didn't complain. Finn saw that just about everyone was here by now. "Okay guys, now if we want to beat School of the Performing Arts at Sectionals, we're going to have to bring our A game."

"Finn, do you think we have a chance at winning?" Mark asked. "I mean, people need to try out to get into that school..."

"Yeah," Scott added. "That glee club probably has a million Caitlins, but with the volume turned up."

"Hey!" Caitlin protested.

"One Caitlin is enough to make us a real threat," Josh said.

"Thank you," Caitlin said.

"Yes," Finn said. "I don't want to hear anything about how you don't think we're good enough because I know that you are good enough. You guys sold out every performance of The Sound of Music. The audience was on their feet. When I first started in New Directions, nobody thought we were worth anything, but we went to Nationals and we won. And we are going to go to Sectionals and we are going to win."

The glee club forced smiles. Finn tried to be encouraging, but he was nervous himself, and he knew they all were. "Now, I want you guys to run over your setlist with me. Let's start off with the duet."

x

"How was rehearsal?" Blaine asked as Finn got home. Blaine and Sam were playing xbox in the living room, while Kurt and Santana were sitting on the couch, reading Vogue.

"Well, I think they sound good," Finn said. "I just wish they'd get some more confidence. I know they're worried, but worrying too much isn't going to help them at Sectionals."

"Well, if anyone can make a team good, it's you," Kurt said. "I mean, New Directions only started working after you joined."

Finn smiled. "Thanks." He looked around the apartment. "Where's our friend who invited herself to move in?"

"Harmony's at Callbacks," Sam said. "Hopefully she'll stay there for a long, long time. I don't know why you guys put up with her."

"Well, I don't enjoy having her here," Santana said.

"You should tell her to start paying or move out," Sam said. "The original thing was a few weeks, and she doesn't even seem to actively be looking for a new place."

"Maybe that's what we should do," Blaine admitted. "This has been going on for a while now..."

"Yeah, it has," Finn agreed. "Hey, where's Rachel?"

"Rachel's sleeping," Kurt said. "She wasn't feeling well, so she went to go take a nap."

Rachel wasn't feeling well again? When WAS Rachel feeling well these days? "What did she say?"

"She didn't say much," Kurt said. "She just said she was feeling tired and nauseous, so she wanted to go rest."

Finn went to his and Rachel's room. Rachel was in the bed, under the covers, and Finn felt so worried. He sat down next to her and poked her. "Rach?"

Rachel rolled over and gave Finn a small smile. "Hey baby."

Finn kissed Rachel's forehead. "Baby, are you okay?"

Rachel shrugged. "I'm fine, don't worry."

But Finn was worried. Rachel had been throwing up. She'd complained about being sore. She was taking naps at odd times of day. "Rach, I think you're coming down with something."

"I'm fine," Rachel said. "Don't worry so much."

It was hard not to worry. "I'm going to call a doctor," Finn said.

x

"Finn, I really don't think this is necessary," Rachel said as she sat on the operating table at the hospital.

"Yes, it is," Finn said. "You're tired, you're throwing up all the time, your appetite's changed, you complain about being sore, you have less and less energy. This is necessary."

Rachel lay back on the table. She knew there was no use in arguing with Finn. When he made up his mind about something, his mind was made up. He was the one who'd made the doctor's appointment and dragged her here.

"You could be sick," Finn continued.

"Well, flu season is starting up," Rachel said. "I'm sure it's just the flu. Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on Sectionals? They are tomorrow. Caitlin really wants to get into NYADA..."

"We already had rehearsal, remember?" Finn said, kissing Rachel on the cheek.

Rachel returned the kiss as the doctor came in. "Hi, Rachel?"

"Yes, I'm Rachel," Rachel said. "This is my husband, Finn."

"Hi," Finn said, shaking hands with the doctor. "Thanks for agreeing to see her."

"It's no problem," the doctor said. "So, what's going on here?"

"Rachel hasn't been feeling well lately," Finn said. "She's doesn't have much energy, she's been throwing up a lot and she's been complaining of being sore."

"Yeah, like he said," Rachel said. "I'm pretty sure it's just the flu though. Or a virus of some kind."

"Okay," the doctor said. "I'm going to do some tests on you and we'll see how things go, okay?"

"Okay," Rachel agreed. She didn't think this was necessary to begin with, but if the doctor told Finn that this was normal and that she was okay, then she had a feeling that Finn would stop worrying.

The doctor took Rachel's temperature and blood pressure, both of which came back normal. The doctor then asked Rachel to do a blood test and a urine test, both of which made her nervous, but Finn was adamant that she take both tests. Rachel did the urine test, but when the doctor came back in with the needles for the blood test, Rachel felt herself tensing up. Needles made her nervous. "Do I have to do the blood test?"

"Do it, Rachel," Finn said. "We'll find out what's exactly going on if we take as many tests as possible."

Rachel gulped. "Okay." All this trouble for what was more than likely a flu or an ordinary virus? It seemed too much to Rachel. The doctor put the needle in Rachel's arm and took some blood, and Rachel gulped as she held Finn's hand tight. Finally, the doctor took the needle out of Rachel's arm. "There you go."

"She looks like she's okay, right?" Finn asked nervously.

"Yeah, she seems to be," the doctor said. "I don't think you two have anything to worry about. "We're just going to run some tests and then we'll call you two to let you know, okay?"

"Okay," Finn said. "Thank you." He held out his hand and helped Rachel down from the table.

"Do you feel better now?" Rachel asked Finn.

"I've just been so worried about you," Finn said.

"Finn, don't worry about me," Rachel said. "Worry about Sectionals."

x

Today was it. Sectionals.

As Finn sat backstage with the glee club, he was reminded of his first ever Sectionals. How originally he wasn't going to be there because he was angry about what happened with Puck and Quinn. How Mr. Schue came to him and told him that the setlist had been stolen. How he went back and told the glee club about how they had to do this and gave them a new number.

Okay, maybe there wasn't as much drama this time. But Finn felt pressure riding on his shoulders. This was the first time he had a competition as an actual director, not as a substitute. And even at the competition where he'd been the substitute, things hadn't gone well. After Marley fainted, the glee club was disqualified for leaving the stage.

Finn sat with his students as the glee club that was their main competition performed. Finn had to admit - he knew why the kids were worried. These kids were good. So many of these kids were like Rachel, Santana, Mercedes, Kurt, Blaine and Caitlin all rolled into one. Finn didn't even recognize the songs they were singing - could it be that they wrote their own songs, too?

Finn sent Rachel a text. "Do you think we have a shot?"

Rachel texted back. "I know you do."

At least Rachel had confidence. Finn brought the glee club backstage as the School for the Performing Arts was finishing their final number. "Okay guys, this is it," Finn told the group. "I don't want to hear about how good they were, because you guys are going to be even better." He tried to think of Mr. Schue's pep talks and think of the best thing to say. "You were great at the show. You were great at the school performances. You've been great in practices. Go out there and nail these songs. I know you can."

The MC announced the group, and Josh and Caitlin stepped on stage for the duet.

_Caitlin: Perhaps I had a wicked childhood  
>Perhaps I had a miserable youth<br>But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past  
>There must have been a moment of truth<em>

_For here you are, standing there, loving me  
>Whether or not you should<br>So somewhere in my youth or childhood  
>I must have done something good<em>

_Nothing comes from nothing  
>Nothing ever could<br>So somewhere in my youth or childhood  
>I must have done something good<em>

_Josh: For here you are, standing there, loving me  
>Whether or not you should<em>

_Caitlin: So somewhere in my youth or childhood  
>I must have done something good<em>

_Caitlin and Josh: Nothing comes from nothing  
>Nothing ever could<em>

_Caitlin: So somewhere in my youth  
>Josh: Or childhood<br>Josh and Caitlin: I must have done something something good_

Finn thought the duet sounded even better than it had in the musical. The rest of the group came on stage for the second group number

_Caitlin: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens  
>Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens<br>Brown paper packages tied up with strings  
>These are a few of my favorite things<em>

_Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels  
>Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles<br>Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings  
>These are a few of my favorite things.<em>

_Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes  
>Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes<br>Silver white winters that melt into springs  
>These are a few of my favorite things<em>

_Choral Inspiration: When the dog bites, when the bee stings  
>When I'm feeling sad<br>I simply remember my favorite things  
>And then I don't feel so bad<em>

_Miranda: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens  
>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens<br>Brown paper packages tied up with strings  
>These are a few of my favorite things<em>

_Bridget: Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels  
>Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles<br>Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings  
>These are a few of my favorite things<em>

_Mark: Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes  
>Scott: Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes<br>Rebecca: Silver white winters that melt into springs  
>Choral Inspiration: These are a few of my favorite things<em>

_When the dog bites, when the bee stings  
>When I'm feeling sad<br>I simply remember my favorite things  
>And then I don't feel so bad<em>

Two numbers down, one to go. Finn was sure if this number sounded good enough, they would have a shot at winning.

_Josh: Edelweiss... Edelweiss...  
>Every morning you greet me<br>Small and white, clean and bright  
>You look happy to meet me<br>Blossom of snow  
>May you bloom and grow<br>Bloom and grow forever...  
>Edelweiss... Edelweiss...<br>Bless my homeland forever...  
>Choral Inspiration: Small and white, clean and bright<br>You look happy to meet me  
>Blossom of snow<br>May you bloom and grow  
>Bloom and grow forever...<br>Edelweiss... Edelweiss...  
>Bless my homeland forever...<em>

At the end of the performance, Finn felt so proud of the kids. He looked on the stage and saw that they all looked so happy, and then he looked at the audience to see them on their feet. This had to be a good thing, right?

After the last group performed, all participating teams were called on stage for the winner to be announced. Finn pretended to be stretching so his arms were over his ears when they announced the winner, but then he saw his glee kids cheering, and the MC came over and handed him a trophy.

He'd done it.

He'd led his glee club to a Sectional victory.

_SONGS: Something Good, My Favorite Things and Edelweiss from The Sound of Music_

_Chapter 12 preview: The gang celebrates Thanksgiving in New York, and New Directions has their Sectionals. Rachel hears back from the doctor._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 12!_


	12. Chapter 12: Thanksgiving

_Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all the reviews on the last chapter. I really appreciate them. This chapter, we finally get to find out what's going on with Rachel, though many of you did have your suspicions. Hope you enjoy the chapter and review if I should keep going!  
><em>

Chapter 12: Thanksgiving

Rachel sat in the backstage wings at the theatre, listening to Paolo and Marissa perform. Since this was Thanksgiving week, both NYADA and Columbia had all week off, which was nice. Between school, the show and her job, she could get pretty overwhelmed lately. And of course, she had been feeling under the weather...

Rachel's phone rang, and she recognized this number. This was the number of the doctor's office. If they were calling her, that must mean that they had the results of her tests back. Hoping everything was okay, Rachel picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Rachel, this is Dr. Green," the voice on the other end said.

"Hi," Rachel said. The doctor didn't sound discouraging, and hadn't said anything about a follow up appointment, so that had to be something, right?

"We have your test results back and you're in perfect health," Dr. Green continued. "Your blood pressure, your blood, all of that came back normal."

Rachel sighed with relief right before she heard the doctor continue. "However, there was something else that you didn't mention when you came in, but you might want to get that checked out..."

Oh no. Something was wrong. Rachel gulped. "Didn't you just say I'm in perfect health? I know my body, I would have told you if I had a history of something..."

"Rachel, you didn't mention to us that you're pregnant," Dr. Green said.

Pregnant? Rachel practically dropped her phone. She was pregnant? She couldn't believe it. She was on the pill. She and Finn always used condoms when they had sex. But now that she thought about it - the morning sickness, the bigger appetite, the tenderness in her breasts, the low energy... it did make sense... and as she tried to go over it in her mind, her last period had been well over a month ago... maybe even two months...

But she was pregnant? She knew that birth control wasn't 100 percent effective, but she never expected herself and Finn to be in that small, small fraction of a percent. And now she was feeling overwhelmed. She and Finn wanted children. They always had talked about it. But now? When they were both still in school and their jobs barely paid enough for them to support themselves?

"Rachel, are you still there?" Dr. Green asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "It's just... I didn't know that I was pregnant."

"Well, congratulations," the doctor said. "We'll need to put you in contact with an OBGYN to get the baby checked out."

Rachel sat down. How was she going to tell Finn? He's aleady been through this once, but this time it was for real. What would they think at NYADA? What would the Funny Girl production team think? And what would she do once the baby got here? Why did the whole situation have to be so complicated?

Rachel looked at her phone. Finn was still at work. She couldn't call him right now and tell him. But she couldn't stop thinking. How would Finn react?

x

Finn had given his glee club this week off as a reward for winning Sectionals. Plus, he was sure most of them would be busy with the holiday this week. Thanksgiving weekend was always when the McKinley Sectionals were held, so the New Yorkers would watch the livestream. They'd decided to stay in New York for the holiday and go to the parade in the morning, then have a Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment. They'd also invited Shelby and Beth over for Thanksgiving dinner. In the evening, Finn, Blaine, Sam and Artie would be going to the Jets game. Kurt and the girls would go Black Friday shopping the next day, but they didn't have any interest in going to the game with the guys. (To everyone's relief, Harmony was going to Lima for Thanksgiving.) Since he wasn't working at the glee club this week and Columbia was off all week, he'd taken on some extra hours at the diner. He was just arriving home when he saw Rachel in her bed, looking upset.

Finn sat on the bed next to Rachel. "Babe, are you okay?"

Rachel sat up. "Finn, the doctor called."

Oh no. Finn knew things weren't right with Rachel. He knew it. And now here it was being confirmed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," Rachel said softly.

Pregnant? Finn couldn't have seen that coming. But now that he stopped and thought... several of the issues Rachel as complaining about were pretty common in a pregnancy. How had he not caught on to this before? And he didn't know what to think... his first child, his first real child... and this child was on the way when he and Rachel were both in school and still getting lots of financial support from their parents...

"Oh Finn, please say something," Rachel said.

"I... I can't believe it," Finn said. "Rachel, I love you, and I always wanted children with you... but now... this just... it's all so sudden."

"I know," Rachel said. "Finn, I love you, and even though our child's not here yet, I love our child... but what are we going to do? Our parents still pay most of our bills and we don't have college degrees yet... I think about what my mom went through with me and Kylie, and what Puck and Quinn went through with Beth... if we give this child up for adoption, there's a chance that we might never see him or her again... but if we keep him or her, what if we can't give them what they need?"

"We have nine months to decide what to do," Finn reminded Rachel, still a bit shocked. "I'm worried about you..."

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Because there's a person in your body," Finn said. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah, I'm comfortable," Rachel said. "The doctor wants me to go see an OBGYN."

"That's probably a good idea," Finn said. He just couldn't believe what Rachel had told him, and now he had a million thoughts running through his mind. Could he and Rachel handle raising a baby? Would they be good parents? Could they give this child what he or she would need? What would their family members and friends think when they found out that Rachel was pregnant? What would their jobs think? Would they be able to finish school and get better jobs to take care of and provide for their child?

"Finn?" Rachel asked, interrupting Finn's thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Finn said as he gave Rachel a kiss. "I feel a bit overwhelmed."

"I know, me too," Rachel sighed, patting the space next to her on the bed. Finn sat down next to Rachel as she put her arms around him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Finn said.

"I'm sorry," Rachel sighed.

"Sorry?" Finn asked. "Sorry for what?"

"Doing this to you," Rachel sighed. "I was on the pill..."

"I always used condoms," Finn said. "I guess we were just that one in a million time where the condoms didn't work."

"I guess so," Rachel said. "We have been that one in a million for other things before."

"That's true," Finn said. "Rachel, does anyone else know?"

"I would never tell anyone before you," Rachel said.

Finn was glad Rachel had told him first. "Good. What do you think our families and friends will think?"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "When should we tell them?"

"Let's wait until after the holidays," Finn suggested. "Remember what happened when you and I got engaged the first time? If they don't want us to have kids just yet, I don't want to have to deal with that during the holidays."

"Yeah, me either," Rachel said. She lay on the bed, and Finn quickly changed into his pajamas, lying beside Rachel and holding her close. He couldn't believe what she'd told him today, but he knew that that no matter what, he was going to be here for Rachel, and she was going to be here for him too.

x

Thanksgiving in New York was craziness.

Finn had always known that New York was busy at Thanksgiving time. And last year, the crowds had definitely begun filing in. But he'd spent last year in Lima. This year, they were actually spending it in New York.

Finn did feel a bit sad. This was the first time he'd spent a major holiday without his mom. And of course, ever since he found out that Rachel was pregnant, he had a lot on his mind. He found himself worrying about her constantly, and he was always wondering if she was okay. And of course, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to them - and the child - in nine months.

Weeks in advance, the group had planned to go to the Macy's Parade for Thanksgiving. It was the biggest event of Thanksgiving, and he'd seen it on TV before, but he'd never been to it in person. At first he was really excited to go to the parade, but ever since he got the news about Rachel, he couldn't think about much else.

"Frankenteen, Manhands, are you guys ready?" Santana called from the living room. Sam, Artie, Tina and Mercedes had come over from the two bedroom apartment for the group to head to the parade, and Finn and Rachel were in their bedroom getting ready.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay today?" Finn asked Rachel.

"I'll be fine," Rachel said.

"There's going to be lots of people there..." Finn began. What if someone knocked Rachel over and hurt her or the baby?

Rachel stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around Finn. "I'll be fine."

Finn nodded as he looked at Rachel's flat stomach. Right now people couldn't tell that she was pregnant, but they couldn't keep it a secret forever. "We're coming," Finn called as he and Rachel went to join their friends.

"This is so exciting!" Kurt said. "Our first Thanksgiving in New York!"

"I know!" Mercedes said as the group walked to the parade. "I've always wanted to see this parade and now we'll get to."

Finn felt his phone vibrate. He opened it and saw a text from Rachel. "Let's make today a stress free day. It's a holiday, and we should have fun."

Finn thought Rachel had a point. They would have nine months to worry. Today was a holiday, and they should enjoy themselves.

x

The parade was even more amazing in person than it was on television.

Finn had been so impressed by the sizes of the balloons. All of them were so cool, and they had one for just about everything. The live music from the marching bands was amazing as well, and it was a great way to kick off the holiday season. Times Square was well decorated, and Finn was already feeling in the Christmas spirit. As the group arrived back at the apartment, they were surprised to see that two people were already there.

"Surprise!" Burt declared as the group went inside.

"Dad!" Kurt exclaimed, running to hug his dad. "What are you doing here?"

"We didn't want to spend Thanksgiving without our sons, so we thought we'd come surprise you," Carole said as she brought out food from the kitchen. "Since you gave us the spare key to the apartment, we had no trouble getting in."

"And Carole cooked up the rest of your food that wasn't cooked yet," Burt added.

Finn ran to hug his mom. "This is such a great surprise!"

"Like I said, we wanted to spend the holiday with you two," Burt said. "And our son-in-law, and our daughter-in-law, and our honorary extended family."

"Well, thank you for coming," Santana said. "It was so crowded out there and we were standing for so long, I don't think I have the energy to cook!"

"That's where we come in," Carole said. "All the things you hadn't pre-cooked, we cooked for you."

"Thank you," Rachel said. "Thank you so much."

"Where are you guys staying?" Sam asked.

"We're staying at the InterContinental," Carole said. "So, are did you have fun at the parade?"

"Yeah, so much fun," Tina said.

"Good," Burt said. "You guys have made your apartments really nice."

"Well, that's mostly thanks to Kurt and the girls," Blaine admitted.

"Yeah, Finn and Blaine are always leaving their dirty dishes in the sink, or their clothes on the floor..." Rachel began.

Carole looked at Finn. "Finn!"

"I guess some things never change?" Rachel asked Carole. "Although he can do his own laundry now."

"Aren't you proud of me?" Finn teased his mom.

"Very proud," Carole said.

The doorbell rang, and Rachel went to the door. Finn turned and saw Shelby and Beth. "Thanks for having us over," Shelby said.

"Of course!" Finn said.

"We brought pie!" Beth declared.

"Yay!" Sam cheered. "I love pies."

Shelby looked and saw Burt and Carole. "I wasn't expecting you guys."

"Well, we thought we'd come and surprise them," Carole said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," Shelby said. "We're still waiting for final test results, but the doctors think I'm in remission."

"And I am so happy!" Rachel declared. Finn smiled at his wife, knowing that this year, there was a lot to be thankful for.

"Well, now that everyone's here, let's eat!" Finn declared.

x

Thanksgiving dinner had been great, and Finn was glad to have his parents there. But tonight was another tradition that he was now taking part in - going to a Thanksgiving football game with Blaine, Sam and Artie. As the four boys rode the bus together, thoughts about Rachel came back to Finn. He'd tried not to think about her pregnancy today, and dinner and the parade had served as a nice distraction. But being on a crowded bus... well, that wasn't a very good distraction.

"Hello? Earth to Finn?" Sam said, waving his hand in front of Finn's face. "We're at the stadium."

"Isn't this exciting?" Artie asked. "A real Thanksgiving football game!"

"Yeah," Finn said. Maybe the game could take his mind off things. "This is great."

"Are you okay, Finn?" Blaine asked. "You've been kind of withdrawn lately."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"You've been quiet and in your room a lot," Sam pointed out. "You won Sectionals, so..."

"I think I'm just stressed about finals coming up," Finn said. That wasn't a complete lie.

"Yeah, we all are," Artie said. "At least this year you have a secure place to live."

"That's true," Finn said.

"It just seemed like something was upsetting you," Blaine admitted.

"Well, if you need us, we are here," Sam said.

"Just like you've always been here for us," Artie added.

Finn almost told the boys about Rachel's pregnancy. Then he remembered that they'd decided not to tell anyone until after the holidays. "Let's go watch the game," Finn said.

And luckily, Finn was able to enjoy the game - and the Jets' victory - like it was any other day.

x

The Saturday after Thanksgiving would be Sectionals for New Directions. Since the alumni who lived in New York were staying in New York, they'd be watching the livestream on the school district's website. Rachel knew that this was big for them, especially since it was their first competition after Mr. Schue had left. As the group sat around the living room, Rachel sent a quick text to Kylie. "How are you guys doing?"

Kylie texted back. "Well, we've been doing these songs for weeks, so I hope we'll be okay. We did them in the performances of the musical, right?"

Rachel texted back. "Yeah, you did, and you guys were great."

"Thanks," Kylie texted. "At least April and Holly showed up on time. April said she'll buy us sparkling cider if we win..."

"At least it's not real alcohol," Rachel texted back.

"How are the New Directions?" Tina asked Rachel.

"Well, Kylie said that they're doing songs from Fiddler On The Roof, and they know those songs and have done them well in the past, so that's something," Rachel said.

"Yeah, they were really good in the musical, even though I didn't direct it," Artie joked. "Especially Kitty."

"I just hope they win," Finn said. "I know the transition to new directors isn't always easy, but I think winning could really bring their confidence up."

"Yeah, me too," Rachel agreed. The group watched the Unitards perform, and they were pretty good, so they knew that New Directions would have some tough competition. Then the next group performed, from a high school New Directions hadn't competed against before. Then the MC announced New Directions, and the alumni felt just as nervous for their former teammates as they did for themselves when they were the ones competing as the group took the stage.

_New Directions: Tradition, tradition! Tradition!  
>Tradition, tradition! Tradition!<br>Boys: Who, day and night, must scramble for a living,  
>Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers?<br>And who has the right, as master of the house,  
>To have the final word at home?<br>New Directions: The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.  
>The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.<br>Girls: Who must know the way to make a proper home,  
>A quiet home, a kosher home?<br>Who must raise the family and run the home,  
>So Papa's free to read the holy books?<br>New Directions: The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!  
>The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!<br>Boys: At three, I started Hebrew school. At ten, I learned a trade.  
>I hear they've picked a bride for me. I hope she's pretty.<br>New Directions: The son, the son! Tradition!  
>The son, the son! Tradition!<br>Girls: And who does Mama teach to mend and tend and fix,  
>Preparing me to marry whoever Papa picks?<br>New Directions:  
>The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!<br>The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!  
>Tradition, tradition... tradition!<br>Tradition, tradition... tradition!_

The first number had gone well, which was a good thing. The rest of the group left the stage for the duet, leaving just Ryder and Marley on the stage.

_Ryder: Do you love me?  
>Marley: Do I what?<br>Ryder: Do you love me?  
>Marley: Do I love you?<br>For twenty-five years I've washed your clothes  
>Cooked your meals, cleaned your house<br>Given you children, milked the cow  
>After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now?<br>Ryder: Golde, The first time I met you  
>Was on our wedding day<br>I was scared  
>Marley: I was shy<br>Ryder: I was nervous  
>Marley: So was I<br>Ryder: But my father and my mother  
>Said we'd learn to love each other<br>And now I'm asking, Golde  
>Do you love me?<br>Marley: I'm your wife  
>Ryder: I know...<br>But do you love me?  
>Marley: Do I love him?<br>For twenty-five years I've lived with him  
>Fought him, starved with him<br>Twenty-five years my bed is his  
>If that's not love, what is?<br>Ryder: Then you love me?  
>Marley: I suppose I do<br>Ryder: And I suppose I love you too  
>Ryder and Marley: It doesn't change a thing<br>But even so  
>After twenty-five years<br>It's nice to know_

"Well, how do they sound in comparison to when you saw them live?" Kurt asked Finn and Rachel.

"They sound even better," Rachel said. But there was still one number left, and the rest of the glee club came on stage for it.

_Ryder: Is this the little girl I carried?  
>Is this the little boy at play?<br>Marley: I don't remember growing older, when did they?  
>Ryder: When did she get to be a beauty?<br>When did he grow to be so tall?  
>Marley: Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?<br>Boys: Sunrise, sunset  
>Sunrise, sunset<br>Swiftly flow the days  
>Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers<br>Blossoming even as we gaze  
>Girls: Sunrise, sunset<br>Sunrise, sunset  
>Swiftly fly the years<br>One season following another  
>Laden with happiness and tears<br>Ryder: What words of wisdom can I give them?  
>How can I help to ease their way?<br>Marley: Now they must learn from one another day by day  
>Jack: They look so natural together<br>Kylie: Just like two newlyweds should be  
>Jack and Kylie: Is there a canopy in store for me?<br>New Directions: Sunrise, sunset  
>Sunrise, sunset<br>Swiftly fly the years  
>One season following another<br>Laden with happiness and tears_

At the end of the final number, the alumni couldn't help but cheer for their friends in their apartment, and they could hear the audience cheering as well. Looking at the screen, Rachel saw that the New Directions members looked relieved and happy. She was sure they deserved to win.

A little while later, the three glee clubs were on stage, and the MC came on stage. The Unitards were announced as the runner up, and then Nw Directions were announced as the winner. Just as they had when they themselves won, the alumni jumped around the living room cheering and hugging each other. Their younger counterparts had done it. And maybe, just maybe, if both teams were lucky, they'd be seeing them in Seattle for Nationals if Finn's glee club made it too.

Then Rachel remembered. She'd been so busy these past few days if she'd forgotten. She'd be pretty far along in her pregnancy by Nationals. She probably wouldn't be able to fly to Seattle. There were so many changes now...

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked Rachel. "You look upset. They won, Rachel!"

Rachel forced a smile. They HAD won. She'd been pretty good at distracting herself, maybe she could keep doing that. "Yeah, just a little tired."

_SONGS: Tradition, Do You Love Me and Sunrise Sunset from Fiddler On The Roof_

_Chapter 13 preview: The semester is winding down and the New Yorkers work hard to do well on their finals. Finn's glee club gets invited to perform at a special event, and the NYADA students hope to be invited to perform at the winter showcase. Someone becomes suspicious about Rachel's condition._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 13!_


	13. Chapter 13: Star of the Show

_Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your reviews on the last chapter. As I'm sure I don't need to say, this is a pretty big time for Finchel. I know that everyone has different opinions, so you'll just have to wait and see what they'll do. Hope you all enjoyed Glee on Friday (if you still watch) and review if I should keep going!  
><em>

Chapter 13: Star of the Show

Rachel had barely slept since she got that call from the doctor.

She hadn't expected to get pregnant before she even turned 21, before she graduated college, before she had a solid job. She couldn't stop thinking about the baby, and even with finals coming up, it was hard to distract herself. When she studied for her finals, her mind kept going back to the baby.

She'd only told Finn, and she knew he hadn't told anyone. She was glad he hadn't, because she wanted to stick to her plan of not telling anyone until after the holidays. She wanted to just have a normal holiday season, especially since she had no idea what their situation would be next year.

Rachel yawned as she sat in the student lounge at NYADA with Kurt and Blaine. Carmen Tibideaux came in, and Rachel had a feeling she knew what this was. It was the time of year when she hand delivered her invitations to perform in the winter showcase. As Carmen walked toward the table Rachel, Kurt and Blaine were sitting at, Rachel's heart stopped.

Carmen handed an envelope to Kurt, and then she handed one to Blaine. She didn't hand one to Rachel.

Rachel tried to hold in her disappointment, but she knew she had to be happy for her friends. She smiled and gave Kurt and Blaine each a hug. "This is amazing! You're going to be in the Winter Showcase!"

"Thank you, Rachel," Blaine said. "I'm so excited."

"Yeah," Kurt added. "I mean, with everything that was going on last year, I don't think we were doing well enough to perform, but this year, we'll get to!"

It did make Rachel feel better to see Kurt and Blaine so happy. "You guys should perform your number together. Do your annual Christmas duet for it!"

"Ah, the annual Christmas duet," Blaine said. "And our first as a married couple!"

Kurt looked over at Rachel. "I'm surprised you didn't get one."

Rachel had been trying to keep the attention off herself by talking about Kurt and Blaine's invitations, but she knew that she couldn't avoid this subject. "It's okay. I won my freshman year. You guys deserve this."

"From what I heard, Kurt was the real winner," Blaine said, making googly eyes at his husband.

"Well, his performance really impressed people, and he got some loud applause, and he got in," Rachel said, relieved to have the attention off her. "So yeah, I think you're right."

"Still, I do think it's weird that you didn't get one," Blaine agreed. "I mean, you're a Broadway understudy!"

"I'm okay with not getting one, seriously," Rachel admitted.

"Rachel Berry okay with not getting an invitation to the winter showcase?" Kurt asked. "We've entered an alternate reality..."

"Well, well, I heard who got invited to perform in the winter showcase," a voice said. Rachel, Kurt and Blaine turned and saw Sebastian. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw how annoyed Kurt looked. "I haven't gotten my envelope yet, but I know I will. And Blaine, I was thinking we could do a duet together. After all, this will help me toward becoming the lead of the next One Direction."

"Sorry Sebastian, but I'm doing a duet with MY HUSBAND," Kurt declared.

"Oh, really?" Sebastian said. "Well, you're going to be really disappointed when I win the whole thing?"

Another familiar voice was heard. "YES!" Rachel, Kurt, Blaine and Sebastian turned and saw Harmony running in with her envelope. "I'm going to be in the winter showcase! Not that I wouldn't be!"

"Well, you are the most talented female here," Sebastian sneered.

"Yeah, I know," Harmony said. "I'm thinking I'm going to do the best song of all time: Don't Rain On My Parade."

Don't Rain On My Parade. "That's Rachel's song!" Kurt gasped.

"Harmony can do it," Rachel said. Clearly she wasn't going to be invited to the showcase.

"See, even she recognizes that," Harmony said. "So, what songs are you guys doing?"

"I don't know yet," Sebastian said. "Kurt and Blaine claim they're going to do a duet, and Rachel wasn't invited."

"I bet she'll be really jealous when she hears me practicing at the apartment then," Harmony declared.

Rachel groaned. Why had Harmony still not found a place?

"Well, luckily for me, my roommate thought I was too awesome, so I have my apartment to myself," Sebastian said. "If you want, you can move in with me. My parents said I need to find a new roommate."

This was perfect. "Oh, then there we go, Harmony."

"Yeah, since these guys won't give me their bedrooms," Harmony said. "Plus, you're the only other really awesome member of NYADA's Class of 2018."

"There we go then," Kurt said, sounding relieved.

"Yeah, at least I'll have my own room there," Harmony said, glaring at Rachel, Kurt and Blaine.

"Yeah, and we'll actually have peace and quiet," Blaine said.

x

"Okay guys!" Finn said to the glee club. "Let's hear it for our Sectionals victory!"

The glee club cheered as Finn put the trophy on display. He'd need to order a trophy case, just like Mr. Schue had. He still couldn't believe it. He had a trophy. He'd won Sectionals with his glee club.

"So, winning Sectionals was definitely a team effort," Finn continued. "And we're going to work even harder to win Regionals and get to Seattle for Nationals. Imagine, guys, the west coast!"

"I've never even been on an airplane before!" Miranda said.

"I want to go on top of the Space Needle!" Bridget declared.

"And we will go to Seattle for Nationals," Finn continued. "Now, first up, the holidays are coming up, and I think we should do something special..."

Before Finn could say anything else, he heard a knock on the door. He looked and saw the principal. "Hi," Finn said.

"Mr. Hudson, you've got a call on the line in the office," the principal said.

A call in the office? Why hadn't whoever wanted to talk to him just called his cell phone? Finn walked to the office and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Finn Hudson, director of Choral Explosion?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yep, that is me," Finn said, wondering who this was.

"This is Amy Andrews, I'm one of the producers of The Today Show," the voice on the other end continued. A producer of the today show? Was this a joke? "I saw your glee club perform at Sectionals, and you guys are incredible. I was wondering - do you think they'd like to perform for one of our holiday festivities?"

The Today Show wanted Finn's glee club to perform? He couldn't believe it. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Amy continued. "I showed the video of the group online to Matt and Savannah, and they would love to have you perform the week before Christmas on the show."

One of the biggest shows in the country? "Wow, I'm sure they'd love that," Finn said.

"Thank you," Amy said. "You can look at your schedule to see what would work best for you, and then give us a call."

"Okay, thank you," Finn said. He knew that the kids would be so excited to hear about this opportunity. "I'll look at my schedule." He went back to the classroom, where the principal was still with the kids. "Hey guys, guess what?"

The kids looked up at Finn. "How would you guys like to perform on TV?" Finn asked. He knew he wanted them to do a holiday performance, but he thought it would just be at the school for the parents and friends, not on national television.

"TV?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, TV," Finn said. "One of the producers from The Today Show called and they'd like us to be part of their Christmas program."

"The Today Show?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, The Today Show," Finn said. "Someone from the crew saw you guys performing at Sectionals and enjoyed your performance, so they want you to perform on their show."

The group cheered. "Looks like we have some Christmas songs to learn!" Finn said. "I'm so proud of you guys."

x

"Look who's home!" Kurt said as Finn arrived home. Kurt and Blaine were making dinner, and Santana was watching TV. Rachel wasn't home yet, but Finn knew she was at the diner tonight.

"Hey guys," Finn said as he arrived. "Guess what!"

"Tell us," Blaine said.

"The Today Show wants my glee club to perform!" Finn announced.

"Are you serious?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah!" Finn said. "One of the producers was at Sectionals and enjoyed our performance, and they want us to perform as part of their holiday special!"

"Wow, that's amazing," Blaine said.

"Yeah, I can't believe it," Finn said. He looked around the apartment, noticing Harmony's bags were gone. "Hey, where's Harmony?"

"She moved out," Santana said.

Even though Finn didn't like living with Harmony, he wasn't sure if the tone of Santana's voice indicated a good thing. "Santana, what did you do?" Finn asked.

"I didn't do anything," Santana said. "She moved in with Criminal Chipmunk."

"Sebastian?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "Apparently he drove his roommate away. Not surprised, with his horrible personality."

"He's sure he's going to be invited to perform in the Winter Showcase," Kurt said. "Whatever, there's no way he's going to be able to beat the Klaine Klistmas Kluet."

"You guys will be performing in the showcase?" Finn asked. He knew that with everything that was going on last year, Rachel, Kurt and Blaine weren't at their best, and therefore weren't invited to perform in the showcase.

"Yeah, we are," Kurt said. "Rachel hasn't gotten her envelope yet, but I'm sure she will."

Finn didn't know what to say to that. He knew that with everything going on, Rachel might not be up to the showcase. "Was she upset?" Finn asked.

"She was surprisingly okay with not getting an envelope today," Kurt said. "In a very un Rachel Berry like way."

"Yeah," Blaine added. "It surprised me. She almost didn't seem to care."

"Yeah, Finn, what's up with Rachel lately?" Santana asked.

Finn knew that he and Rachel had decided not to tell anyone about the pregnancy until after the holidays. And he was sticking to that. Still, he had to admit, this was Rachel's two best friends, his brother, his brother-in-law and one of his best friends. They knew him and Rachel. Quickly, he decided to play naive. "What do you mean?"

"How she's always in the bathroom in the morning," Santana said. "And how she goes to bed early these days? Any of that sound familiar to you?"

Santana always figured things out. Finn now knew they had to be extra careful if they didn't want her to figure this out. "She's just stressed about waiting to hear if she'll get the lead in Funny Girl and about finals coming up."

"Yeah, but finals are coming up for us, too," Blaine said.

"Guys, don't worry about Rachel, she's fine," Finn said. Of course he was worried about Rachel, and about their baby. He couldn't say anything just yet though.

Then Rachel came in. "Hey guys."

"Well, look who's home," Kurt said. "Rachel, Finn's glee club was invited to perform on TV."

Rachel's face lit up. "Are you serious?" She gave Finn a big hug. "Finn, I'm so proud of you!"

Finn hugged his wife, glad that she still was acting like herself. Maybe now Kurt, Blaine and Santana would be less suspicious. "Yeah, on the Today Show," Finn said.

"Wow," Rachel said. "That is absolutely incredible! I can't wait to see you guys perform!"

"I'm excited, and nervous," Finn said.

"Don't be nervous," Rachel said. "Finn, this is a huge opportunity for you. And if people from NYADA see it, it could really help Caitlin with getting in."

"Oh, I know," Finn said. He knew Caitlin was already hoping people from NYADA would see it.

"How was the diner?" Kurt asked Rachel.

"It was good," Rachel said. "You know, the closing shifts are never the most fun, because you have to clean up. I'm going to go to bed."

Finn saw Kurt, Blaine and Santana exchange looks. As Rachel left, Santana looked at Finn. "See what I mean?"

"It's late," Finn said. "She had school, rehearsal and a shift at the diner today..." He had a feeling that somehow, Santana knew. He certainly wouldn't put that past Santana. "I'll go check on her."

Finn went into his and Rachel's bedroom. Rachel had taken off the diner uniform and was in her pajamas, but she had her pajama shirt lifted up and was staring at her stomach in the mirror.

"Babe, if I didn't know, I wouldn't be able to tell," Finn said, giving Rachel a kiss.

"Not now," Rachel sighed. "I'll be showing in a few months. And we won't be able to keep this a secret from our roommates, and our jobs, and our colleges, and Funny Girl..."

"Remember what we agreed on?" Finn asked Rachel as he began putting on his pajamas. "This is the holiday season. It's going to be stress free."

Rachel sat down in the bed and patted the spot next to her. "Yeah. And I'm so, so proud of you. You've only been working with the glee club for a few months and already you'll be on TV."

Finn smiled. "It's pretty cool."

"Yeah, more than pretty cool," Rachel said as she kissed Finn.

x

When Rachel woke up the next morning, she saw her phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was Rupert. Hoping not to be lectured, she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Rachel, this is Rupert," Rupert said.

"Hi Rupert," Rachel said.

"We need you to perform tonight," Rupert said. "Marissa has a bug."

That was why they'd been calling? Of course she wanted to perform! "All right, I'll do it."

"You can do it?" Rupert asked. "Great. We wouldn't want to disappoint the sold out crowd."

Her performance would be in front of a sold out crowd? "Well, I'm not going to let the sold out crowd be disappointed." She was glad that even though she wasn't on the best of terms with the production staff, they were still letting her perform. Now that she was pregnant, she didn't know if they would let her take on the role.

"Great," Rupert said. "So we'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. She sent Finn a quick text, telling him that she'd be performing as Fanny Brice tonight and wouldn't be home until late.

x

Getting to perform in front of a sold out crowd was incredible.

Rachel had been singing these songs for as long as she could remember, but tonight it felt extra special. The crowd's enthusiasm made it feel as if she was the main Fanny, not just the understudy filling in. She loved every moment that she was on that stage and could think of very few times in her life where she'd enjoyed herself more. She hoped that once the tour left, she'd get to play the part.

At the end of the performance, Rachel went back to her dressing room, and to her surprise, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Mercedes, Tina, Sam and Artie were there. "Surprise!" the group declared.

"Oh my God!" Rachel gasped. "What are you guys doing here? It was a sold out crowd."

Finn handed Rachel some flowers and gave her a hug. "We pulled some strings."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"Today Kurt and I talked to Jean at NYADA," Blaine explained. "He and Taylor talked to the production crew, and they got some extra seats for us."

"Wow, that's amazing," Rachel said, reminded that she not only had great friends from high school, but great friends in the cast of this production as well. "Thank you all so much for being here. And I'll have to thank Jean and Taylor, too."

"You were really, really good," Mercedes said.

x

It was a nice relief for Finn to get to see Rachel performing on the stage and looking so happy when she got to perform as Fanny Brice. With everything that was going on, it was hard to focus on school and the glee club, but seeing Rachel so happy and getting the invitation to perform had been high points.

Of course, finals were still there, despite everything that was going on, and the week before finals was mostly spent studying. Even studying was a nice distraction. After all, if he and Rachel kept the baby, they'd need to be well educated...

He couldn't keep letting his mind go there. He'd be okay. They'd be okay, they were Finchel, right?

_Chapter 14 preview: Finn's glee club performs on the Today Show and NYADA's winter showcase takes place. The New Yorkers also celebrate Christmas and Rachel's 21st birthday._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 14!_


	14. Chapter 14: Christmas

_Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your reviews on the last chapter. I always love writing Finchel Christmas chapters, and in this chapter, I finally had an excuse for including Finn's Christmas solo (so sad the writers never put it on the show!). I also got to write some of my favorite dynamics - Finchel with their families, Finchel and Klaine, Finn/Blaine/Sam and Rachel/Kurt/Santana. Thanks so much for your reviews again and review if I should keep going!  
><em>

Chapter 14: Christmas

"Ready to go?" Rachel asked Finn.

"Ready!" Finn said as he followed Rachel outside. Today, the New Yorkers were going to go a tree farm to cut down trees for their apartments. Ever since Finn was little, he'd wanted to cut down a Christmas tree for his house, but Carole had never wanted to do it when he was growing up. This year, he'd suggested it to the others in New York, and they liked the idea.

"Our first Christmas as a married couple," Rachel said to Finn.

"I know," Finn said. "I'm so happy about that."

"Me too," Rachel said. "You're going to love what I got you."

"I think you'll like what I got you, too," Finn said as they got into the UHaul Shelby had rented for them for the day. Since the residents of the other apartment wanted to get a tree for their apartment, too, Shelby had rented a UHaul for the group so they could all drive together and get trees.

"So, are all your families getting excited to come here for Christmas?" Rachel asked as she and Finn got in the car.

"Yeah, totally," Sam said. "I think my family would have come last year if I hadn't been in the dorms."

"New York at Christmas is amazing," Mercedes added. "It actually feels like Christmas here. In LA, it was too hot for Christmas."

"So you're glad you came to New York?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, so glad," Mercedes said.

"Is Kitty going to be coming at all during winter break?" Blaine asked Artie.

"Yeah, she is, she's coming for New Year's," Artie said. "She actually called me earlier today to say she got into NYU, so she'll be here next year."

"That'll be fun," Sam said from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I knew she was coming for New Year's, since Kylie's coming, too," Rachel said. "I guess she can stay at our place and Kitty can stay with Artie."

"Oh, Kitty's definitely staying at my apartment!" Artie declared.

Finn leaned over to Rachel. "Do you think you'll get carsick?"

"Don't worry about me so much," Rachel whispered back.

Finn nodded. It was hard not to worry about Rachel. Their first doctor's appointment was after Christmas, and he was more than a little nervous.

The UHaul pulled into the parking lot of the tree farm, and Finn was able to stop worrying. As soon as Sam parked the car, Finn bolted out to go look at the trees. He'd always loved the smell of pine trees, and he remembered when Rachel put that pine air freshener on her jacket to attract him to her. As he began smelling the trees, he heard the others talking about what trees they liked.

Eventually, Finn looked at a tall tree. "Wow, look at this one!"

"Do you think our ceiling's high enough for that?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I think it is," Finn said. "This is so cool!"

"I do like that one," Blaine said.

"Yeah, me too," Santana said.

"We have ours," Artie said. Finn had been so preoccupied, he hadn't noticed the tree Tina was dragging.

"Well, we all like this one," Kurt said. "So it must be the one for our apartment."

One of the farmers passed the group. "May I help you guys with anything?"

"Yeah, we'd like this tree," Rachel said.

"Sure thing!" the farmer said, cutting down the tree. They had their tree.

x

Back at the apartment, the tree was up, and everyone was putting lights and ornaments on it. The group had already put up the tree at the two bedroom apartment, and now they were putting up the other one. "This is the best tree I think we've ever had," Finn said.

"Isn't it nice?" Rachel asked, hanging up an ornament.

Kurt picked up the gold star for the top of the tree. "Here's the star for the top. Since Rachel likes gold stars, maybe she should put it up."

Finn felt panicked about Rachel being up that high. What if she fell? Would the baby get hurt? "Let's let Finn do it," Rachel said. "He is the tallest, and cutting down a tree was his idea."

"Yeah," Finn said, smiling. He was glad Rachel had suggested that. He picked up the star and put it at the top of the tree. "Wow, this looks great."

"It does," Rachel agreed. "It does."

x

Rachel, Kurt and Blaine sat in the student lounge at NYADA when Carmen Tibideaux came over. "Mr. and Mr. Hummel-Anderson, have either of you decided what you'll be performing for the winter showcase?" she asked. "I need to get the program ready."

"Yeah," Blaine said. "We're performing a duet, if that's okay. We wanted to do Silent Night."

"Yeah, that will work," Ms. Tibideaux said.

"You guys will be great, I'm sure you'll win," Rachel said. She guessed this was the confirmation that she wouldn't be performing. But she understood.

"What about Rachel?" Kurt asked.

"Kurt, don't," Rachel sighed.

"Well, only a limited number of students perform in the winter showcase," Ms. Tibideaux said. "And Ms. Hudson did not meet the criteria this year."

"But..." Kurt began.

"Kurt, it's okay," Rachel said. "I'm just under a lot of pressure right now."

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked.

Rachel had almost said it. She couldn't. "Just with Funny Girl and still not knowing if I'm going to get the part..."

x

Finn sat in his bedroom as he began to put together the setlist for the performance on The Today Show. The Today Show would be providing costumes, so that was one less thing to worry about. Of course, having the glee club perform on television was more pressure for him. This wasn't even just Sectionals. This was National TV. The groups they'd be competing against at Regionals would be seeing this, and they'd know what his club's strengths - and weaknesses - were. For that reason, Finn felt more determined to put together a good list.

Finn heard the door of his room open and saw Blaine and Sam come in. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"We were wondering if you wanted to watch the Nets game," Sam said.

"Yeah, I think I finally have the setlist finalized," Finn said. "What would you guys think of doing a mashup?"

"You haven't done mashups with your glee club yet?" Sam asked.

"No," Finn said. "But I always liked doing mashups in glee club."

"The mashup competitions always were fun," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, so I'll give one a try," Finn said. "I was thinking I'd try mashing up Deck The Halls and Up On The Rooftop."

"That would be cool," Blaine said.

"Are the kids excited to be performing?" Sam asked.

"They are," Finn said. "I'm nervous, but luckily they aren't. Or if they are, they haven't said anything."

"What are you nervous about?" Blaine asked.

"Well, it's national TV," Finn said. "I just hope people enjoy it."  
>"The Today Show wouldn't have asked you guys to perform if they didn't think people would," Blaine pointed out.<p>

"I guess you're right," Finn said. "Let's go watch the game now."

"How about we go to my apartment?" Sam asked. "Artie's out shooting a film for film school, and the girls went out with some of Tina's NYU friends."

"Okay," Finn said. "Though now that Harmony's moved out, our apartment is more peaceful."

"I bet," Sam said.

The boys walked to the two bedroom apartment as Finn turned to Blaine. "So, speaking of performances, have you decided what you and Kurt will be performing for the winter showcase?"

"Yeah, we're doing Silent Night," Blaine said. "We have to do a duet every year for Christmas, you know?"

"Of course!" Finn said.

"What's Rachel doing?" Sam asked.

"Rachel's not performing in the winter showcase," Blaine said. "She wasn't invited this year."

"What?" Sam asked, turning to Finn. "Did you know about this?"

To be honest, Rachel hadn't really talked about the winter showcase with Finn. He pretended to be surprised that she wasn't. "What? That's crazy! Rachel should get to perform!"

"That's not the weirdest part," Blaine said. "She doesn't even seem to care that she wasn't invited."

"Wow," Sam said. "That's so un Rachel Berry like."

"Guys, don't focus on that," Finn said. "Rachel has a lot on her plate right now..." He stopped himself. He did want to tell his two best friends about Rachel's pregnancy. But he had a feeling that Blaine would tell Kurt and Sam would tell Mercedes if he told them. And they didn't want people to spend the holiday season focused on that. They just wanted a regular holiday season. He quickly tried to cover up what he said. "She's putting all her energy into trying to get the part in Funny Girl."

"I guess that makes sense," Sam admitted.

"Yeah," Finn said. "Now let's watch the game."

x

A few days later, it was the day of the winter showcase. Rachel sat in the audience with Finn, Santana, Mercedes, Tina, Artie and Sam, waiting to watch Kurt and Blaine. She remembered how two years ago, she was on this stage. The audience had wanted an encore, and she'd won. But now wasn't the time to focus so much on that. She had to support Kurt and Blaine.

"Are you okay?" Finn whispered to Rachel.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Rachel whispered as she held Finn's hand.

"I still can't believe you weren't invited to perform," Santana said.

"Santana, don't," Finn interrupted. All of Rachel's friends had been talking about how surprised they were that Rachel hadn't been invited, and while Rachel appreciated that her friends were supporting her, she was kind of tired of hearing about it. It just reminded her of the big curveball that had been thrown into her life, and all the uncertainty about her future right now. She didn't even know where she and Finn would be next holiday season, or where the baby would be.

Carmen Tibideaux came on stage to welcome guests to the showcase, and Harmony was the first person to perform. She was smug as she performed, and at the end of her performance, Sebastian jumped out of his chair to cheer.

Kurt and Blaine were the last performers. This was Kurt's second time performing at the showcase, and as he and Blaine took the stage together, Rachel remembered the first time Kurt had performed, and gotten into NYADA. The piano began playing as Kurt and Blaine sang their song.

_Blaine: Silent night, holy night  
>All is calm, all is bright<br>Round young virgin mother and child  
>Holy infant so tender and mild<br>Blaine and Kurt: Sleep in heavenly peace  
>Sleep in heavenly peace<em>

_Kurt: Silent night, holy night  
>Son of god, loves pure light<br>Radiant beams from thy holy face  
>With the dawn of redeeming grace.<em>

_Kurt and Blaine: Jesus lord at thy birth  
>Oh Jesus lord at thy birth<em>

At the end of Kurt and Blaine's performance, Rachel was sure that they should win. Sure enough, Carmen Tibideaux came on stage a little later and announced that for the first time, there would be a joint win: Kurt and Blaine.

The other alumni cheered as Kurt and Blaine came on stage to accept their trophy. Rachel noticed Sebastian in the audience looking disgusted.

x

A few days after the showcase, the trophy was on display in the living room of the apartment. All the colleges were out for winter break, and all the graduates had finished the semester on the Dean's list of their respective schools. However, the high school was still in session, but Finn's students wouldn't be in school today.

They'd be performing on the Today Show.

Finn had to get up extra early to get there in time. When he woke up, he noticed that Rachel wasn't on her side of the bed. She was probably in the bathroom dealing with morning sickness, so he got up and went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before leaving. He hoped that she would be okay today. Today was her 21st birthday, and he wanted it to be special.

To his surprise, Rachel was already in the kitchen. "How about some breakfast?"

Finn was shocked. "What?"

"I made breakfast for you," Rachel said. "Eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice, sound okay?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "That sounds great. Rachel... with your condition..."

"Hey, don't worry," Rachel said. "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good," Finn said as he began to eat the breakfast Rachel had prepared. "Kind of nervous, but good." He gave Rachel a kiss. "Happy Birthday, babe."

Rachel smiled. "Thanks. The kids are going to be amazing, and I'm going to be watching and I'll be so proud that my husband put this together."

Finn smiled at Rachel. "I wish you could come."

"Awww, me too," Rachel said. "But I'll be watching it with pride."

"I wish I could be with you all day on your birthday," Finn sighed.

"Hey, we'll spend time together when you get home," Rachel said.

x

__Choral Inspiration Boys: Fa la la la___  
>Choral Inspiration<em>__ Girls: Oh uh oh oh___  
>Choral Inspiration<em>__ Boys: Fa la la la___  
>Choral Inspiration<em>__ Girls: Oh uh ohh___  
>Miranda<em>__: Deck the Halls___  
><em>__Boys: Fa la la la___  
><em>__Girls: Oh uh oh oh___  
><em>__Boys: Fa la la la___  
><em>__Girls: Oh uh ohh___  
>Miranda<em>__: Deck the Halls___  
>Miranda<em>__: Deck the halls with boughs of holly___  
><em>__(Choral Inspiration: Fa la la la la la la la la la)___  
><em>__'Tis the season to be jolly___  
><em>__(Choral Inspiration: Fa la la la la la la la la la la la la la)___  
>Bridget<em>__: Don we now our gay apparel___  
><em>__(Choral Inspiration: Fa la la la la la la la la )___  
><em>__Troll the ancient yuletide carol___  
><em>__(Choral Inspiration: Fa la la la la la la la la)___  
>Miranda<em>__: Deck the halls___  
>Josh<em>__: Up on the rooftop, reindeer pause___  
><em>__Out jumps good ol' Santa Claus___  
><em>__Down through the chimney with lots of toys___  
><em>__All for the little ones Christmas joys (New Directions: la la la)___  
>Josh and Caitlin<em>__: Ho ho ho___  
>Caitlin<em>__: Who wouldn't go?___  
>Josh and Caitlin<em>__: Ho ho ho___  
>Rebecca<em>__: Who wouldn't go?___  
><em>__Up on the rooftop___  
><em>__click click click___  
><em>__Down through the chimney with good St. Nick___  
>Girls<em>__: Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop___  
><em>__Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop___  
><em>__Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop___  
><em>__Boys: Fa la la la, Fa la la la___  
>Heather<em>__: First comes the stocking of little Nell___  
><em>__Oh, dear Santa, fill it well___  
><em>__Give her a dolly that laughs and cries___  
><em>__One that will open and shut her eyes___  
>Choral Inspiration: <em>__Don we now our gay apparel___  
><em>__Fa la la la la la la la la___  
><em>__Troll the ancient yuletide carol___  
><em>__Fa la la la la la la la la___  
><em>__Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop___  
><em>__Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop___  
><em>__Deck the halls he's up on the rooftop___  
><em>__Fa la la la, Fa la la la___  
><em>__Deck the Halls___  
>Mark<em>__: Up on the rooftop (Boys: Oh uh oh oh)___  
><em>__Up on the rooftop (Boys: Oh uh ohh)___  
><em>__Oh up on the rooftop (Boys: Oh uh oh oh)___  
><em>__Up on the rooftop (Boys: Oh uh ohh)___  
>Garrett<em>__: See the blazing Yule before us___  
><em>__Fa la la la la la la la la___  
><em>__Strike the harp and join the chorus___  
><em>__Fa la la la la la la la la___  
>Josh and Caitlin<em>__: Follow me in merry measure___  
><em>__(Choral Inspiration: Fa la la la la la la la la)___  
><em>__Sing we joyous, all together___  
><em>__(Choral Inspiration: Fa la la la la la la la la)___  
>Choral Inspiration<em>__: Ho ho ho___  
><em>__Who wouldn't go?___  
><em>__Ho ho ho___  
><em>__Who wouldn't go?___  
><em>__Up on the rooftop___  
><em>__click click click___  
><em>__Down through the chimney with good St. Nick___  
>Josh and Caitlin<em>__: Deck the halls with boughs of holly___  
><em>__Fa la la la la la la la la___  
><em>__'Tis the season to be jolly___  
><em>__Hear the bells of Christmas calling___  
><em>__Deck the halls with boughs of holly___  
>Choral Inspiration<em>__: Fa la la la la la la la la!__

As the glee club finished their performance, Finn felt so proud. They'd been working so hard the past few weeks, and they sounded better than ever. The mashup was the last number they'd do, and Finn thought it sounded great. He was also happy with the mashup he'd put together.

"Thank you to Choral Inspiration for providing some Christmas music for us this morning!" Matt Lauer said at the end of the mashup. "The Central Park High School glee club just won their first Sectional championship and will be moving on to Regionals in March. We thank them and their director, Columbia student Finn Hudson, for the lovely music."

"And we wish them luck for the rest of the season, from Regionals and hopefully to Nationals in Seattle," Savannah Guthrie added.

The glee club members came to where Finn was. "Oh my God, that was awesome!" Josh declared.

"You guys sounded great," Finn said. "I'm so proud of you guys."

"Even though these costumes are weird?" Scott asked.

"I'm sure my brother will agree with that," Finn said.

"Do you think NYADA will see that?" Caitlin asked.

"I sure hope so," Finn said. He felt his phone vibrating, and he looked and saw a text from Rachel. "Oh, my wife says congratulations and that she and my brother and our friends thought you guys were great."

The group cheered. "Let's go get some hot chocolate to celebrate," Finn said.

x

"The kids were great, weren't they?" Rachel asked as she finished watching the glee club perform on The Today Show. Rachel, Kurt and Santana were watching at the apartment, but everyone else was at their respective jobs right now. Luckily, there were TVs at most of their jobs.

"They were," Kurt said.

"Now, Rachel, how about we all get some fake IDs when Finn gets home and go get some alcohol to celebrate your 21st?" Santana asked.

Rachel knew that she couldn't have alcohol. "I'm not in the mood for alcohol."

"But Rachel, it's your 21st birthday," Kurt said. "You're the first one of us to turn 21."

"I know I am," Rachel said. "So it wouldn't be fun celebrating without all of you able to join in."

"We could get fake IDs," Santana said.

"I'm not letting you get in trouble with the law at my expense," Rachel said. She saw Kurt and Santana exchange a look, knowing they were getting suspicious that something was up with her.

"Rachel, what's going on with you lately?" Kurt asked. "First you don't care about not being invited to the winter showcase, now you're tired all the time and don't want to get a drink for your 21st..."

"You can tell us if something's wrong, you know," Santana said.

If the holidays weren't so soon, Kurt and Santana would have been the first people Rachel would tell, other than Finn. Before she had a chance to say anything, Finn came in. "Hey!" Rachel said, running to hug her husband.

"Hey babe!" Finn said. "Sorry I'm home so late, I took the kids out for hot chocolate."

"I bet they enjoyed that," Rachel said.

"They did," Finn said. "So, how's your birthday going?"

"Well, I got to watch my husband's glee club perform!" Rachel said. "With my two best friends, nonetheless."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Finn said. "What do you say we go out to dinner for your birthday?"

"I'd love that," Rachel said.

"But she doesn't want to get alcohol for her birthday, even though she can legally have it now," Santana said.

"If she doesn't want to, then she doesn't have to," Finn shrugged. "How about I give you your present, Rach?"

Rachel smiled. "I'd like that."

Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. Rachel opened it and saw a bracelet. "Oh, it's beautiful."

"I helped him pick it out," Kurt blurted out.

Finn put the bracelet on Rachel's wrist. "Happy Birthday, babe."

x

Rachel's birthday was exactly a week before Christmas, and by the time Christmas rolled around, all the families were in town. Since it was the first Christmas as married couples for Finchel and Klaine, they wanted to have the celebration at their apartment.

When Rachel woke up on Christmas morning, she wasn't feeling morning sickness, so that was immediately a good thing. She shook Finn. "Babe, time to get up!"

Finn opened his eyes and smiled at Rachel. "Hey babe."

"Merry Christmas," Rachel said, kissing Finn. "Want to go exchange gifts before our roomies wake up?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Finn said. "How's the little one doing?"

"He or she gave me the morning off of morning sickness," Rachel said. "Guess that's my Christmas present."

"I guess so," Finn said. "Come on, let's go get our presents."

But when Finn and Rachel got to the living room, the Christmas tree lights were already on, and Kurt and Blaine were on the couch, surrounded by wrapping paper. "You beat us!" Rachel giggled.

"Yeah we did," Blaine said. "What can I say? It's our first Christmas as a married couple."

"Ours too," Rachel said. "It was on this day last year that Finn asked me to marry him."

"Yes it was," Finn said. He picked up a gift and handed it to Rachel. "I doubt this will be as awesome as last year's, but I did my best."

Rachel opened the gift and saw a beautiful pair of earrings. "Finn, these are lovely."

"I thought you'd like them," Finn said, giving Rachel a hug.

"They're so pretty," Rachel said, taking out her current pair of earrings and putting the new ones in. "Now let me give you your present."

Finn smiled. "Okay."

Rachel handed Finn a gift box. He opened it and inside were a new pair of drumsticks. "Wow, Rachel, these are great."

"Look more closely at them," Rachel said. She looked alongside Finn, and they had quotes from songs they'd sung engraved on them.

"Did you have these custom made?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I did," Rachel said.

"I love them, and you," Finn said. "Thank you."

"So, I'm guessing you two are enjoying your first Christmas together?" Kurt asked.

"We are!" Finn told his brother. "What did you two get each other?"

"Blaine got me a new Marc Jacobs jacket, and I got him a new xbox game," Kurt said.

"We'll have to play each other on it," Finn told Blaine.

"Yeah we will," Blaine said. "Kurt and I actually got gifts for you two."

"Oooh?" Rachel asked.

"We got gifts for you two as well," Finn said as he handed wrapped boxes to Kurt and Blaine. They'd gotten Kurt a new scarf by his favorite designer and Blaine a new set of bowties.

"Thanks you guys!" Kurt said as he and Blaine opened the gifts. "Let me get your gifts now." He left the room and got boxes for Finn and Rachel.

Finn and Rachel opened the boxes. Kurt and Blaine had gotten Finn tickets to a Nets game and Rachel a case for her phone with gold stars on it.

"You guys are the best," Rachel said.

"Hey, now that all four of us are family, we might as well enjoy our first Christmas together," Kurt said.

"Yeah, definitely," Finn agreed.

x

Later that day, the families of the glee alumni living in New York arrived at the apartment. As the family members arrived, Kurt and Blaine took seats at the piano as the former glee clubbers sang a Christmas song led by Finn to welcome their families.

__Finn: So this is Christmas and what have you done,  
>Another year over, and a new one just begun<br>And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun,  
>The near and the dear one, the old and the young<br>Finn with alumni: A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year  
>Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.<br>Finn (Alumni): And so this is Christmas (War is over) for weak and for strong (If you want it)  
>For rich and for poor ones (War is over) the road is so long (Now)<br>And so happy Christmas (War is over) for black and for white (If you want it)  
>For yellow and red ones (War is over) let's stop all the fight (Now)<br>Finn with alumni: A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year  
>Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.<br>Finn (Alumni): So this is Christmas (War is over) and what have we done (If you want it)  
>Another year over (War is over) and a new one just begun (Now)<br>And so happy Christmas (War is over) we hope you have fun (If you want it)  
>The near and the dear one (War is over) the old and the young (Now)<br>Finn with alumni: A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year  
>Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.<br>War is over if you want it, war is over  
>War is over if you want it, war is over, now<em>_

At the end of the song, the family members clapped. "Glad to see you guys all still like singing together," Hiram said.

"And they all still sound great together," Carole added.

"Finn has a great voice, doesn't he?" Rachel asked.

Finn giggled. "Thanks, Rach."

"It's hard to believe at this time last year, you guys were at my house," Shelby said.

"Yeah," Rachel said to her mom. "And I'm so glad you're doing so much better this year."

"I told you girls that I was going to beat it, didn't I?" Shelby asked.

"You did," Rachel said with a smile.

"Rachel, I got some new toys for Christmas!" Beth said.

"You did?" Rachel asked Beth.

"Yeah!" Beth said. "Mommy gave me lots of cool toys and clothes, and Kylie sent me a book with cool pictures in it!"

"That's great," Rachel said. "Want to see what I got you?"

"Yeah!" Beth said.

"Well, this is from me and Finn," Rachel said, handing Beth a box.

Beth opened the box and saw a pretty pink dress. "This is so pretty!" Beth said, showing the dress to Shelby.

"Thanks Rachel," Shelby said. "I think she'll love that."

Beth handed Rachel a box. "This is from me and Mommy. We got one for Kylie too, and I have one, so now we all have them!"

Rachel opened the box to reveal a bracelet. Watching Rachel with Beth, Finn couldn't help but notice how good Rachel was with her. If the baby did end up staying with them, Rachel would be a great mom, Finn knew that...

"How are you, honey?" Carole asked Finn.

"I'm doing great," Finn said, coming out of his thoughts about the baby. "I'm just so glad you guys are here."

"Christmas in New York is great," Carole said. "With you and Burt here, I think we'll come here for Christmas every year."

"Well, I like that idea," Finn said, smiling.

Carole handed Finn a box. "This is from me and Burt."

Finn opened the box and saw two tickets to the national NCAA championship. "Mom, how did you get these?" Finn asked.

"Burt got them from another congressman," Carole said.

"I'll have to go thank Burt," Finn said.

"We wanted to get you something extra special for Christmas," Carole said. "We're so proud of you and the work you're doing with the glee club."

"Thanks Mom," Finn said. "So, how do you like what we did with the place for Christmas?"

"It looks great," Carole said. "You finally got to cut down your own tree."

"Yeah, I finally did," Finn said.

x

Kurt and the girls had prepared Christmas dinner, and everything was amazing. After dinner, the families sat around the apartment, and then Kurt spoke. "Blaine and I won the winter showcase with a Christmas duet, but Finn and Rachel did a Christmas duet last year, and they haven't done one yet this year."

"A duet?" Rachel asked. As much as she and Finn loved singing together, they hadn't really had the time to think of a duet for this year.

"Yeah, you should do one," Blaine encouraged.

"How about you two perform yours for our families and we'll think of one?" Finn suggested.

"Okay," Kurt said. He took a seat at the piano as he and Blaine performed their duet. After they'd performed, Finn and Rachel had one in mind, so they told Kurt what song they wanted to do and began to perform.

__Rachel: Christmas time is here,__  
><em>Happiness and cheer,<em>  
><em>Fun for all that children call,<em>  
><em>Their favorite time of the year.<em>  
><em>Finn: Snowflakes in the air,<em>  
><em>Carols everywhere,<em>  
><em>Olden times and ancient rhymes,<em>  
><em>Of love and dreams to share.<em>  
><em>Finn and Rachel: Sleigh bells in the air,<em>  
><em>Beauty everywhere,<em>  
><em>Yuletide by fireside,<em>  
><em>And joyful memories there.<em>  
><em>Christmas time is here,<em>  
><em>We'll be drawing near,<em>  
><em>Oh, that we could always see,<em>  
><em>Such spirit through the year.<em>  
><em>Oh, that we could always see,<em>  
><em>Such spirt through the year...<em>

The families applauded as Finn gave Rachel a hug.

"We should make this a tradition like Kurt and Blaine do," Finn whispered.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "It's been a great Christmas, hasn't it?"

"It has," Finn agreed.

_SONGS: Deck The Rooftop by Glee (performed by Choral Inspiration), Silent Night by Bing Crosby (performed by Blaine and Kurt Hummel-Anderson), Happy Xmas/ War Is Over by John Lennon (performed by Finn Hudson with New Directions Alumni) and Christmas Time is Here by Charlie Brown (performed by Finn and Rachel Hudson)_

_Chapter 15 preview: Finn and Rachel go to their first doctor's appointment and tell their parents the news. Will they tell their friends as well? Rachel finally finds out whether she got the part of Fanny._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 15!_


	15. Chapter 15: The Reveal

_Hey guys! Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last chapter. I really appreciated them. I know lots of you have been sharing what you think Finn and Rachel should do - and to be honest, I'm not even sure what they'll do yet. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going. Hope my east coast readers are surviving the blizzard!  
><em>

Chapter 15: The Reveal

"I can't believe we're doing this," Rachel said to Finn as they sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Not just any doctor - the OBGYN. "

Me either," Finn said. "It's crazy."

"I always knew one day we'd be doing this," Rachel said. "I just didn't know it would be this soon."

"Yeah," Finn said. He took Rachel's hand and began rubbing circles in it with his thumb. They still had six or seven months to make this decision, but this would be the most difficult decision they'd ever have to make and it would change both their lives forever.

The doctor came into the waiting room. "Rachel Hudson?" Finn and Rachel looked up and followed the doctor to the examination room. "Hi, I'm Dr. Harris," she said, shaking hands with Finn and Rachel, then glancing at Finn. "Are you the father of the baby?"

The father of the baby... Then Rachel interrupted. "Yes, this is my husband, Finn."

"Nice to meet you," Dr. Harris said, motioning to the table for Rachel to sit on. "So, is this your first pregnancy, Rachel?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I had a pregnancy scare once before, but that was a false alarm."

The doctor rolled up Rachel's t-shirt. "Okay." She put gel on Rachel's stomach. "I can see that you two are pretty young. Have you given any thought about what you'll do when the baby gets here?"

Finn sighed. "We don't know yet." They'd been thinking a lot, but they honestly didn't know what they were going to do or what they should do.

"Well, know that you have options," Dr. Harris said. "You may be young, but there are lots of support agencies out there for young parents. And if you decide to give the baby up for adoption, I'm sure adoption services could find a family that could give your child a good home."

"Yeah," Rachel said quietly. She looked at Finn, and he could tell she was thinking the same thing that he was thinking. This wasn't like any other decision. A human life was in the picture. There wasn't going to be an easy decision.

The doctor waved her wand over Rachel's stomach as a blurry moving picture appeared on the screen. The doctor pointed at a small spot on the screen. "See right there? That's your baby."

"Wow," Finn gasped. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the screen. That was their baby.

"Wow," Rachel echoed, squeezing Finn's hand.

Finn smiled over at Rachel before turning back to the screen. "Hi, baby. It's Mommy and Daddy..." He didn't know what to say next. Would they be mommy and daddy to this baby?

"Hi," Rachel mumbled softly. "Hi. Hi."

Finn leaned his head against Rachel's shoulder as they watched the sonogram for a little more. This was supposed to be a happy time, but instead there was so much uncertainty.

x

"We're really having a baby," Rachel said as she and Finn walked home.

"I know," Finn said. "Seeing our baby... it made it so much more real."

"It did," Rachel agreed. Their baby. Seeing the baby made Rachel love him or her so much more than she thought she could. But this baby might not be hers to love.

"We're going to have to tell our parents eventually," Finn said.

"I know," Rachel admitted. "But... you know what Quinn's parents did to her..."

"You seriously think your dads would do that to you?" Finn asked.

Well, Rachel knew her dads loved her. But she didn't think they'd love that she got pregnant before winning a Tony award. "Finn, I love my dads, but ever since I was little I've been under so much pressure," Rachel sighed. "It was always Broadway or bust... they wanted me to be the best... the best singer, the best actress, the best dancer... every time I lost a lead I felt like I'd disappointed them... what will they think of me being pregnant?"

Finn took Rachel's hands. "Hey, hey. Your dads love you. And they'll always love you, no matter what."

"Well, at least your mom let Quinn stay at your house for a little when she thought Beth was yours," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Finn said. "But now that it's real, and we're adults in the real world... I have no idea what she'll think, or what Burt will think..."

"We won't know until we tell them," Rachel admitted. "Maybe we should skype them tonight... we can't keep putting this off," Rachel admitted. She got out her phone and sent a text to her dads. "Hey, can Finn and I skype with you?"

Rachel got a text back from Hiram almost right away. "Of course you can."

Rachel turned to Finn. "When we get home, my dads can skype with us."

x

Rachel sat next to Finn as she turned on her computer, holding Finn's hand tightly. She'd never been more nervous to tell her dads anything, and this was about the biggest thing she'd ever have to tell anyone. She hit "send" to call her dads as she and Finn waited. Rachel's dads appeared on the screen before long. "Hey!" LeRoy said.

"Hi Dad," Rachel said. "Hi Daddy."

"How are you two?" Hiram asked.

Rachel looked at Finn. "We just have some news for you," Finn said.

"Okay," LeRoy said, as he and Hiram both looked like they didn't know what to expect.

Rachel looked at Finn. She hoped he would say it. What if her dads never wanted to talk to her again after this? "Tell them, Rachel," Finn said. "You should."

"Tell us what?" Hiram asked.

Rachel took a deep breath. She couldn't even look at the screen as she said it. "I'm pregnant." She felt tears coming to her eyes, unable to say anything else.

"What?" Rachel heard Hiram say. Rachel clutched Finn's hand, hoping he would speak. She didn't know what to say. At least her dad didn't sound angry...

"We're so, so sorry if we've disappointed you," Finn said. "I hope you know that we're always very, very careful... we use protection... we just happened to be that one in a million time where it didn't work."

"Are you two okay?" Hiram asked. This didn't sound bad.

"Yeah, we're okay," Rachel sighed. "As okay as we can be. I'm so sorry..."

"What are you going to do?" LeRoy asked.

"I don't know," Rachel sighed. "We've got time to decide. We're weighing all the options."

"Yeah," Finn added. "No decisions have been made. We're just playing it by day. We just had our first doctor's appointment today. The doctor said everything looks okay so far..."

"Can we give you two some advice?" Hiram asked.

"Of course," Rachel said.

"You two are wonderful people, and we know you'll make great parents, one day," Hiram said. "You're loving, you're dedicated, you care about each other and your family and friends, and you work hard at everything you do. But you're also young, and in school, and you still get financial help from your parents."

"What I think your father is saying," LeRoy interrupted, "is that while we know one day you'll be a great mom and dad, now isn't the time."

"I don't want an abortion," Rachel blurted out. She didn't feel ready, that was true. But over the past few weeks, she'd begun to feel a connection to the baby. And seeing the baby solidified that connection.

"Rachel, your mother put you and your sister both up for adoption," LeRoy said. "All these years later, you, Shelby, Beth and Kylie are a family. A different type of family, but still a family."

"Not everyone knows who their babies go to if they put them up for adoption," Finn said.

"That's true, and you don't need to make a decision right now," Hiram said. "We just want you to not put anything off the table."

"Thank you for not disowning me," Rachel said.

"Of course we're upset and disappointed that it happened now rather than later," LeRoy said. "But we aren't going to neglect you."

"If we can do anything, let us know," Hiram added.

"We will," Rachel said. "Thank you." That had gone better than she thought, but it had still taken courage. She and Finn logged off skype and exchanged a look before Finn spoke. "I guess we should tell my parents, too."

x

Finn thought that telling Rachel's dads would make him more nervous. After all, they were the ones more likely to be mad at him, since it was their daughter. But as he and Rachel sent a skype call to his mom and Burt, he felt like he was having a panic attack. Rachel looked up at Finn. "Are you okay?"

"I can't do this," Finn said.

"I did it," Rachel pointed out.

"Yeah, but this hasn't happened to you before," Finn said. "This happened to me once before... and now it's for real."

Rachel gave Finn a kiss. "I'll be right here."

Finn nodded just as Burt and Carole appeared. "Hi, you two," Burt said.

"Hey," Finn said. "Rachel and I just wanted to talk to you."

"Are you okay, Finn?" Carole asked. "You look terrified."

Finn was terrified. He just went ahead and said it. "Rachel's pregnant."

"Oh my God," Burt said.

"Please don't be mad at Finn," Rachel blurted out. "We're always very, very careful. We always use protection."

"I'm just so shocked," Carole said.

"We don't know what we're going to do yet," Rachel said. "We're considering everything. We just need time."

Finn was glad Rachel was talking to his parents. Just like he was the support when they told her dads, now she was the support for him. He looked up at the screen. "We know this isn't the ideal time, which is why we're taking every possible option into consideration."

"We love you both," Carole said. "Whatever decision you make, we'll support you. But like you said - now might not be the best time."

First Rachel's dads, now his parents. It felt like the consensus among the parents was for Finn and Rachel to give the baby up for adoption. "We haven't made any decisions yet," Finn repeated.

"We know," Burt said.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Just my dads," Rachel said.

"If you need us, we'll be on the first train to New York," Burt said.

"Thank you," Finn said. He was glad that both sets of parents, even though they were upset, had overall been supportive.

x

It was the day after Finn and Rachel had told their parents, and as far as they knew, no one else had found out. As they left their shift at the diner, Rachel's phone began ringing. She looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Rupert. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Rachel," Rupert said.

"Hi Rupert," Rachel said.

"Rachel, we've made a decision regarding the role of Fanny," Rupert said. "As you know, there were many talented actresses trying out for the role, and it was hard to make a decision."

Rachel had a feeling she knew what was coming. She wanted this role so badly. But would they let her play it with a baby bump? Of course, she probably hadn't gotten it... "I will respect whatever decision you've made," Rachel said. "No matter who you've selected, I hope to stay on as the understudy for as long as you'll let me. I had the best time up there when I filled in for Marissa."

"We received lots of praise from the night you filled in," Rupert said. "And we have decided to have both Marissa's understudies share the role of Fanny. You'll each take a week of performances and alternate, like you do with being the understudy."

Rachel couldn't believe it. They wanted her to be one of the two main people playing the role? Would they let her if they found out? "Wow, thank you."

"Thank you," Rupert said.

Rachel hung up the phone and looked at Finn. "They want me to share the role with Taylor."

Finn gave Rachel a big hug. "Rachel, that's amazing!"

"Do you think they'll let me?" Rachel asked.

Finn paused. "I hope they do."

"I can't tell them," Rachel said as they arrived home. "Not yet."

"Well, we did get telling our parents out of the way," Finn said.

"We should also tell Kurt," Rachel said. "I mean, he is your brother."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Finn asked. Of course he loved Kurt, but he knew that Kurt had a special bond with their friends. If they told Kurt, what if he told some other people? Finn and Rachel weren't ready for people to know yet.

"I know it's a good idea, Finn," Rachel said. "Kurt is your brother. He's my best friend. It wouldn't be right to keep this from him."

"If I'm going to tell Kurt, then you're going to tell Kylie," Finn said.

"I can't," Rachel said. "She's in high school, if I tell her she might tell some of the other people in glee club..."

"But she's your sister," Finn countered.

Rachel knew that was what she'd told Finn about Kurt. "Okay, we can tell our siblings," Rachel sighed. "But no one else. Not our other roommates. Not anyone at school. And not our employers."

"You know, we can't keep this a secret forever," Finn said. "Eventually it's going to be visually obvious."

"Keep what a secret?" Finn and Rachel looked up and saw Santana in the doorway. Oh no. How much had she heard?

"Nothing," Rachel said. "Everything's fine."

"Oh really?" Santana asked. "Because you've both been acting really weird lately."

"We have?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Santana said as Kurt and Blaine came in. She turned to them. "Haven't Finn and Rachel been acting odd?"

"Yeah," Blaine said. "You know, you guys don't have to keep whatever's wrong to yourselves."

"Who said anything was wrong?" Rachel asked.

"They were talking about keeping something a secret," Santana said. Finn and Rachel sighed and looked at each other. This was to be expected from Santana. After all, when Santana suspected something was off about Brody, she hadn't rested until she figured out exactly what his story was.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked. "Seriously, we're family. You guys can tell us."

"Well, I found out today that I get to share the main part of Fanny," Rachel said, hoping that they'd buy this.

"Seriously?" Kurt asked. "That's great. Were you just worried you weren't going to get it?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I don't even know if I can do it though..."

"What?" Blaine asked. "Of course you can."

Rachel tried to think of an excuse. "It might just be too much to deal with school and doing eight shows every other week."

"Oh, you can do it," Santana said. She got out her phone. "I'm calling the others to get them to come over and celebrate. Maybe Rachel can use her ID to get us some celebratory alcohol."

"She doesn't even know if she'll end up doing it!" Finn pointed out.

"Oh, you will," Kurt said. Rachel heard a knock at the door as Blaine went to the door.

"Hey, Santana texted us to come over for a celebration," Sam said as he came in with Artie, Mercedes and Tina. "What's going on?"

"Rachel was offered to share the part of Fanny with the other understudy," Santana announced. "So she's going to go out and get us some alcohol with her ID to celebrate."

Tina ran over to hug Rachel. "That's amazing!"

"I don't know if I'm even going to do it," Rachel said. "And no alcohol."

"Why no alcohol, Rachel?" Sam asked.

Rachel tried to think. "Because the rest of you are under 21."

"You're not enjoying your drinking privileges, Rachel," Santana groaned. "What gives?"

Rachel couldn't hold it in anymore. "You guys have been right when you thought something wasn't right..." She looked at Finn.

"Are you guys okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Finn said. "It's just..."

"I'm pregnant," Rachel blurted out.

The group fell silent, and Rachel became as nervous as she was when she told her dads. She didn't want a lecture about how this was going to get in the way of her education and career. "We don't know what we're doing yet," Finn said. "This is something big that neither of us were expecting. Whatever we decide to do, we're not asking you to agree with it, but please respect us and support us."

"Now that you say that, it does make sense," Tina said.

"Yeah, the signs do add up," Artie added.

"Who else knows?" Blaine asked. "Just our parents," Rachel said.

"Well, we're here for you no matter what," Kurt said as the group gave Finn and Rachel a group hug. It was true that the young couple were scared and unsure, but at least their situation was a lot better than it could have been.

_Chapter 16 preview: Rachel tells her mom and sister about her pregnancy. Updates on the New Directions. Someone starts causing trouble for Finn with his glee club._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 16!_


	16. Chapter 16: Bumps In The Road

_Happy Superbowl Sunday! Hope you guys are having a great weekend. We've had lots of snow here, so I hope you're all staying safe. Some recent spoilers about Glee have pretty much disgusted me (what are they thinking?!), but we might as well hang in there. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter and review if I should keep going!  
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Chapter 16: Bumps In The Road

Finn got home from the diner and saw Rachel sitting on their bed, staring at a piece of paper. When he sat down next to her, he saw that she was looking at the ultrasound. Rachel looked up at Finn. "Our baby."

Finn smiled. "Yeah, our baby."

"I feel horrible," Rachel sighed. "This is supposed to be a happy time, the time when we wait for the arrival of our first child. Instead, I don't know how to feel because I don't know if we're going to keep the baby or not."

"I know," Finn said as he hugged Rachel tightly. "I know."

"I've always fantasized about us and our first child," Rachel said. "Baby shopping, getting the nursery ready, reading baby name books... but now we have a baby on the way, and I don't even know if we can keep it. I want to keep it, Finn, I really do. I love him or her and I love you and I want us to be a family. But I also want what's best for him or her, and I don't know if we can give our baby what they'll need."

"I feel the same way," Finn admitted. "I love this baby so, so much. And it would break my heart to give him or her away. But can we do it?"

"I don't know," Rachel sighed. "We love the baby, but think about what our parents did for us. We're in school, and our jobs barely pay enough for us to pay our bills and we get help from our parents."

"Yeah," Finn said, hugging Rachel. "We have time to decide, but it won't be an easy decision."

"I know that even if we do give this baby up, we'll have children one day, who we'll get to experience everything with, but they won't be this child," Rachel continued.

x

As Finn arrived to the school for glee club rehearsal early to start preparing for today's meeting, he saw the principal sitting in the classroom where they met with a woman Finn had never seen before. "Finn, this is Collette Goulde..."

Finn thought that name sounded vaguely familiar, but he wasn't sure where he'd heard it. "Hi, I'm Finn Hudson, I'm the director of Choral Inspiration, the glee club here..."

"She knows who you are," the principal said. "She actually was here to talk to you about something."

"Okay," Finn said. "What's going on?"

"Finn, I was the leader of the glee club for five years," Collette began. "This year I decided not to coach it again because when I led it, we never made it past Sectionals. Watching what you did with those kids, seeing the fall musical and Sectionals - they were incredible."

Finn smiled to himself. "Thank you. We've already begun to work on our Regionals setlist."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Collette continued. "I know you've done a good job with these kids, but now that I know they can win, I'd like the glee club back. They made it to Sectionals, so they must be good enough..."

So this woman just wanted to take the glee club back? After all the hard work Finn had done with them this year? Finn looked at the principal. "What's the meaning of this? I signed a contract!"

"Exactly," the principal said, eyeing Collette. "And I spoke to Ms. Goulde about that before. I wouldn't let her take the glee club away from you. But I didn't know if you'd be willing to take her on as an assistant..."

Collette looked at her boss. "I'm not interested in being an assistant to a college student. I work here, and people who work here are first in line to advise extracurricular activities."

"You told us last year you did not want to continue with the glee club after they lost Sectionals," the principal said. "So we advertised and hired Finn as a replacement."

Collette glared at Finn as Josh and Caitlin came in. "Finn, I have a great idea for a song for our next performance..." Caitlin began before she looked at Collette. "What's SHE doing here?"

"Ms. Eastfield, watch your mouth," the principal said.

"She may have used a weird tone of voice, but I'm wondering the same thing," Josh said. "When Ms. Goulde was our director, she barely did anything."

"I could fail both of you if you want, and you might not be able to cross the stage in June," Collette said. "Seriously, a college graduate is doing better than I did?"

"With Finn as director, I'm finding my vocal range getting better after every practice!" Caitlin declared. "I actually got here early to tell him that I'm a finalist for NYADA, and that wouldn't have happened if he wasn't director."

"That school is hard to get into, but being the lead of the New York based glee club that won Sectionals, you would have gotten in," Collette said. "Now, Mr. Hudson, I do appreciate what you did with my kids this year, but I'm in line for tenure, and if I lead them to a Regionals victory, I might get one of the tenure spots. The science department has three teachers eligible for the tenure spot..."

"Well, if we lose Finn, I can guarantee that you won't have much of a team," Josh said. "If Finn's out, most of us will leave."

"Yeah," Caitlin added.

Finn was thankful for the support. He looked at the principal, who looked at Collette. "Ms. Goulde, I think the kids really enjoy working with Finn, and he really likes leading the club, so I don't see him stepping down. You can talk about helping out with him, but he is under contract, and we're satisfied with his work."

Collette picked up her papers. "I'm not interested in helping out." She looked at Josh and Caitlin. "I hope you both studied hard for tomorrow's biology test."

The principal looked at Finn. "I'm sorry about that."

Finn shrugged. He was used to adults who acted like this, especially after dealing with Sue Sylvester for four years. "It's fine. Thanks for not letting me go."

"Of course we're not letting you go," the principal said. "You've been fantastic with this club."

When the principal left, Finn turned to Caitlin. "So, congratulations on becoming a NYADA finalist!"

"Thanks!" Caitlin said. "Do you think Rachel, Kurt and Blaine could work with me on a song for my final audition?"

"I'm sure they'd love to," Finn said. "So, the old director wants back in..."

"Like we said, I guarantee everyone will quit if she somehow got it back," Caitlin said. "She didn't make it fun, and the songs we did weren't what anyone was looking for. We're doing so much better with you."

"Plus, you actually let us have a voice in here, everyone," Josh added. "She was the only one whose opinion mattered when she was director."

"Well, I'll keep things how I'm doing them," Finn said. He hoped Collette was out of the way, but he had a feeling she wasn't.

x

Rachel rang the doorbell at Shelby's house. She'd decided today she was going to tell her mother the news. She'd told her dads and her friends already, and she couldn't put this off any longer. Finn had to work both at the diner and with the glee club today, so she'd be doing this on her own. She thought that the more people she told, the less nervous she'd be, but every time she was about to tell someone, she felt just as nervous as before. She also knew that eventually, she'd have to tell the Funny Girl executive team and the professors at NYADA.

Shelby came to the door. "Rachel! I wasn't expecting you."

"Hey Mom," Rachel said. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course," Shelby said, leading Rachel in.

Beth was watching TV in the living room and looked over when she saw Rachel. "Rachel!"

"Hi," Rachel said, giving Beth a hug. "How's pre-k?"

"It's good!" Beth said. "I'm making lots of friends!"

"Good," Rachel said. "I wanted to talk to our mommy about something, but I'll come play with you after talking to her, okay?"

"Okay," Beth said happily.

Shelby led Rachel into the kitchen.

"What's going on, honey?" Rachel just decided to say it. "I'm pregnant."

"Rachel..." Shelby began.

Once again, Rachel was terrified of what Shelby would say. "Well, how far along are you?" Shelby asked.

"Not that far," Rachel said. "I first started having symptoms in November and I found out shortly before the holidays. Finn and I had our first ultrasound last week." She reached into her purse and got out the photo. "See, here's our baby."

"Do you guys know what you'll do yet?" Shelby asked.

"We don't," Rachel admitted. "That's what we're struggling with. We love this baby, but we don't know if we can give them what they need."

"Can I tell you something, as someone whose been in your shoes?" Shelby asked. "With both you and Kylie, I fell in love with you girls right away, but I felt like I couldn't give you what you needed right now. I know I have you in my lives now, and I'm so proud of the women you've both become, but I do wish that I'd had you with me from the beginning. Not every parent who gives their child up for adoption gets to have what I have with you and Kylie, or what Puck and Quinn have with Beth. There's a possibility that if you give your child up for adoption, you'll never see or hear from them."

"That's true," Rachel said. And she didn't like the idea of never seeing or hearing from this child.

"So Rachel, if you and Finn do end up deciding to keep the baby, I know you can do it," Shelby said. "I'm right here in New York, and you have all your friends and your brothers-in-law. Puck and Quinn are nearby in Connecticut, and I'm sure that your dads and Finn's parents could come over and help whenever you needed them."

"You think I could do it?" Rachel asked Shelby.

"Yeah, I think you can," Shelby said.

x

Rachel hadn't stopped think about what Shelby had said to her. She knew that she and Finn would have lots of support if they decided to keep the baby, but at the same time, the baby would be their responsibility, not their family members and friends. It wouldn't be fair to ask their parents for money all the time...

Rachel was starting to feel tired, but she knew there was something else to do today. She picked up her phone and dialed Kylie's number, knowing she had to tell everyone in her family and get it done with. Kylie picked up the phone after one ring. "Hey."

"Hey," Rachel said. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Kylie said. "We're getting ready for Regionals."

"And how's that going?" Rachel asked.

"Well, Mr. Schue's school in LA had a three week winter break, so he worked with us for a week, too," Kylie said. "It was great to work with him again."

"I bet it was," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Kylie agreed. "I don't think he wanted to say it, but I think he really misses us."

"That wouldn't surprise me," Rachel said. "I know he loves the glee club. So how's it going with your new directors?"

"It's going okay," Kylie admitted. "I think they've learned some things by watching Mr. Schue with us and they've begun to take us more seriously."

"That's good," Rachel said.

"Yeah, it is," Kylie said. "So, what's up with you?"

"I was actually calling to tell you something," Rachel said. "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Kylie asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Finn and I told our parents, and our roommates know too, but I wanted you to know before you found out from someone else..."

"Yeah, before Artie has a chance to tell Kitty," Kylie laughed. "So, are you okay?"

"I'm doing as well as I can," Rachel admitted. "I still don't know what I'm going to do. Our mom encouraged me to keep the baby because she doesn't want me to miss out on the things she missed out on with us, and my dads and Finn's parents sounded like they think we should give the baby up for adoption."

"What are you and Finn leaning toward?" Kylie asked.

"We don't know," Rachel admitted. "We have time to decide. I know that as your older sister, I'm supposed to be a role model for you, and I know this isn't a role model thing to do, but at the same time, you deserve to know."

"Hey, I'm not mad at you," Kylie said. "When will you tell other people?"

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "Eventually I'm going to have to tell the director and producer in Funny Girl. I'm just worried that if I tell them, they'll take the part away from me."

"I hope they don't," Kylie said.

"I hope they don't, too," Rachel said. "But there's no way of knowing."

"Hey, I've got to get to Jack's soon to work on duet ideas for Regionals," Kylie said. "The seniors want us to do the duet to get ready for being the leads next year. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay," Rachel said, hanging up the phone. "Have fun!"

"I will!" Kylie said before hanging up the phone.

A few minutes later, Finn came in. "Hey babe."

"Hey honey," Rachel said. "How was your day?"

"It was all right," Finn said. "Kind of stressful."

"Awww, what happened?" Rachel asked.

"The woman who was director of glee club last year wants it back," Finn groaned. "Since I go the glee club to Sectionals, she thinks that she should get it back and take them to Regionals."

"Are you serious?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Finn said.

"I hope they didn't let her take it back," Rachel said.

"Of course they didn't," Finn said. "But I'm still annoyed. Josh and Caitlin told her that everyone would quit if she took it back, because they think I'm so much better than she is."

"You are so much better," Rachel said. "I saw what you did with those kids at Sectionals and in the musical, Finn. They were amazing. And it was all because of you."

Finn smiled at Rachel. "Caitlin told me today she made it to the NYADA finals."

"That's great!" Rachel said. "If she wants someone to work with her on an audition song, I'd be happy to."

"She was hoping you, Kurt and Blaine could work with her," Finn said.

"You know I'm always happy to," Rachel said. "I was talking to Kylie. I guess Mr. Schue was there during his school's winter break to work with them. She thinks he misses them."

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Finn said. "My glee club's great, but nothing's like the New Directions. We all had such a special bond."

"I know," Rachel said.

"So, what did your mom and sister have to say?" Finn asked.

Rachel knew what Finn was talking about. "Well, my mom thinks that we should keep the baby. She said that if we give the baby up, we might never get to know him or her, and that's true..."

"That is true," Finn agreed. "And I really want to be in his or her life."

"So do I," Rachel said. "She said that we'll have lots of support, with her in New York, and Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Mercedes, Tina, Artie and Sam, plus Kitty for sure next year and probably the other seniors, and Puck and Quinn nearby, and our parents would be willing to come help, but it's our child. We can't just ask our parents for money and ask our friends to help out all the time."

"I know," Finn said. "Why does this all have to be so complicated?"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "Let's get to bed. I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, me too," Finn said as he crawled into bed with Rachel, both knowing their troubles were far from over.

_Chapter 17 preview: The former director of the glee club continues to give Finn trouble. Word that Rachel is pregnant begins to spread. Preparation for the next Glee wedding begins._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 17!_


	17. Chapter 17: Too Small

_Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. As always, I appreciated them. I recently was asked if I plan to do a Season 7 - and I definitely would be interested if you guys were. So, even though my Season 6 isn't over yet, let me know if you'd like to see a Season 7. And as always, enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!  
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Chapter 17: Too Small

Ever since Finn had found out he and Rachel were expecting a baby, Finn's life had become more and more stressful. He felt so much more pressure to do well in school, fufill all his responsibilities at the diner, and have the glee club at their best. If they did decide to keep the baby, this way they'd have the most money possible saved and the best for the immediate future.

Working with the glee club was a nice distraction, too. With Regionals less than two months away, their setlist was sounding better and better. "Okay, guys, I want you to do run through that number we've been working on for Regionals," Finn told the glee club. "You've sounded great when we've been working on it before, but for Regionals, it needs to be PERFECT. From the top!"He montioned to the band as the music began.

__Boys: Winter is here again oh Lord,__

__Haven't been home in a year or more  
>I hope she holds on a little longer<br>Girls: Sent a letter on a long summer day  
>Made of silver, not of clay<br>I've been runnin' down this dusty road  
>Choral Inspiration: Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'<br>I don't know where I'll be tomorrow  
>Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'<br>Josh: I've been trying to make it home  
>Got to make it before too long<br>Caitlin: I can't take this very much longer  
>I'm stranded in the sleet and rain<br>Choral Inspiration: Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again  
>The mornin' sun is risin'<br>It's kissing the day__

"So, is that the number you have in mind for Regionals?" a voice interrupted.

Finn turned and saw Collette Goulde walking in. Finn rolled his eyes. "Yes it is. The kids have been working really hard on it these past few weeks and I think it'll be great."

"No, Mr. Hudson," Collette said. "That song is from about 40 years ago. You should do something more modern, like Five Seconds of Summer."

"You always had us do whatever was at the top of the charts, and we always lost Sectionals," Caitlin told her former director.

"Oh please," Collette snapped.

"This is a private rehearsal," Finn told Collette. "And I appreciate your input, but we're doing this song for Regionals."

"The judges aren't going to like it," Collette said. "I'm warning you."

"Why are you here anyway, Ms. Goulde?" Miranda asked. "Finn told you this is a private rehearsal."

"Finn, huh?" Collette asked. "Aren't you going to maintain any sort of professionalism?"

"He is professional," Mark said. "He got us a Sectional win. If we got to Nationals, that would be so cool. Lots of us have never been to the west coast."

"Yeah, so thank you for your input, but we need to get back to rehearsal," Finn said.

He looked back up at the group. "Okay, let's try that again, hopefully this time we'll get to go all the way through."

"Yeah, and I hope none of you guys kiss your crushes in the middle of it," Collette said. "Did you know that once 'Finn' kissed his girlfriend on stage at a glee competition?"

"Yes, they know about that," Finn answered for them. "Now, this is a CLOSED rehearsal."

After some more rehearsals, Finn dismissed the glee club as Josh and Caitlin came up to him. "Finn, Ms. Goulde's a bit crazy," Josh said.

"Oh, I know she is," Finn admitted.

"That's not it," Caitlin said. "She gave us both Fs on the test we took the other day in her class."

Finn didn't know what to say to that. Everyone had a bad test now and then, and he knew Josh and Caitlin were both decent students. "Well, I wouldn't assume it's because of glee club. We all make mistakes."

"No, it was because of how we stood up for you the other day," Caitlin said. "I know it was." She reached into her backpack and handed Finn the test. Finn looked over the test. It was an open answer question, and Collette had taken points off some of Caitlin's answers for spelling and punctuation mistakes and for leaving out details that probably weren't necessary. He now had a feeling his glee clubbers were right - this wasn't about the test.

"Yeah, that's what happened with mine, too," Josh said. "That's what I lost points for."

Finn didn't know what to say. "I'll talk to the principal about this. You guys just focus on school and Regionals for right now."

After Josh and Caitlin left, Finn began to walk to the principal's office when Collette came up to him in the hall. "Well, hello Finn Hudson. I was listening to the kids practicing, and I don't think those songs are what the judges will be looking for."

"You already shared your input," Finn said, tempted to mention the tests. "I'm the director. I've already selected my songs for Regionals."

"Who do you think you are?" Collette asked. "You're just a college boy, who thinks he's a director, but you're not. I've seen videos of your high school glee club online and that club always just performs songs from the past. I don't want that happening with MY glee club."

"It's not your glee club anymore," Finn shot back. "You gave it up. Nobody forced you to quit."

"I quit because I thought they weren't good and I didn't want to be the coach of a losing team," Collette said. "But they're going to Regionals, so maybe they are good."

"Not maybe," Finn said. "They are good. And I'm taking them to Regionals and to Nationals."

He walked into the principal's office, where the principal was on his computer. "Hi," Finn said.

"Finn, may I help you?" the principal asked.

"Yes please," Finn said. "Ms. Goulde doesn't seem to understand that she gave up the glee club, and that I'm the one who makes decisions now. She came into the rehearsal today and started telling me what to do with my setlist and was kind of rude, and she failed two of the students on a test for stupid reasons."

"Stupid reasons?" the principal asked. "Yes, like grammar mistakes and not including some details," Finn said. "I just feel like she's being really unprofessional."

"Well, Finn, when you're a teacher, you'll realize that every teacher grades tests differently," the principal said. "I doubt the failed tests had anything to do with your kids being in the glee club."

Finn sighed. "Maybe. But she seems to be causing trouble with the glee club, and I was wondering if you could talk to her. With Regionals so soon, I need these kids to be at their best, and if she keeps distracting them, they won't be that."

"I'll talk to her," the principal said.

"Okay, thank you," Finn said, leaving the office. Somehow, he had a feeling the principal didn't fully understand the situation.

x

Rachel had off of rehearsals today and had worked the early morning shift at the diner, so now she was on her way to go look at dresses for Quinn and Puck's wedding with Quinn, Santana, Mercedes, Tina and Brittany. Quinn was coming into New York to look for a dress because she thought the dresses here would be better, and Brittany had off this week from U of Lima, so she was spending the week visiting in New York. Since Brittany was in town, Quinn decided that this would be a good time to look for dresses since most of the girls were in the same place. (Quinn's sister lived in California, and Puck's sister could get hers next time she visited Puck.)

Rachel decided before she arrived that she was not going to tell Quinn and Brittany about her pregnancy. Since they were looking at dresses for Quinn's wedding, today was going to be about Quinn. She walked into the bridal shop, where the other five girls were waiting. "You're here!" Quinn said.

"Yeah, sorry I'm a little late," Rachel said.

"It's okay," Quinn said. "So, I was thinking pink for the bridesmaid dresses. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, you know I like pink," Rachel said. "Mine were blue and Kurt and Blaine used purple, so we haven't had pink yet."

"Great," Quinn said.

Rachel looked at Brittany. "Nice to see you."

Brittany had arrived during Rachel's classes, so Rachel hadn't seen her yet. "You too," Brittany said. "I see Santana's girlfriend isn't here."

"Okay, that's enough, Brittany," Santana said.

"Why would she be, she's not one of Quinn's bridesmaids," Tina pointed out.

Mercedes gave Tina a look. "All right, Quinn. Show us some of the dresses you have in mind."

Quinn held up a dress. "What do you think of this one?"

"It's pretty," Tina said. Quinn tried on the dress and then came out to the girls.

"That one looks kind of like mine," Rachel said.

"Okay, then this one's out," Quinn said. "Sorry Rachel. I want it to be unique."

Rachel giggled. "Okay. Let's see the next one."

Quinn tried on another dress and came out. "What about this one?"

"That has too much lace," Santana said. "You look like an old lady."

"Santana!" Mercedes snapped. "No, she has a point," Quinn said. "This one is too itchy."

She went back into the dressing room and then came out. "What do you guys think of this one?"

"Oh, I really like that one," Rachel said.

"Yeah, that one's pretty," Santana added.

"So we'll put this on the maybe list," Quinn said. "This is my favorite so far, but we haven't seen the others." For the next hour, Quinn tried on dresses before finally selecting the third one, and then it was time to try on bridesmaid dress.

Rachel immediately felt herself getting nervous. This dress wasn't going to fit her by the time the weding came around no matter what they selected.

"This one is pretty," Quinn said as she looked at the dresses the girls had in mind for the bridesmaid dresses. Rachel looked at the dress Brittany had suggested. It was kind of tight around the middle. What was it going to be like when the actual wedding came around?

"Yeah, I like this one best too," Santana said.

"Great," Quinn said. "I'll have the clerk get some in your sizes for you to try on."

Rachel leaned over to Santana. "What's going to happen to me when the wedding actually comes around? I'll be huge by then..."

"Just wait until closer to the wedding to get it," Santana whispered back.

Rachel went into the dressing room to try on the dress. Even now, zipping it up was a challenge. She was prety good at hiding her small bump by wearing clothes that were a bit big, but this dress wasn't going to do her any favors. "Are you almost ready, Rachel?" Brittany called.

Rachel finally managed to zip up the dress and came out. "Yeah, sorry, this is just a little small. I'll have to get the next size up."

"Okay, I can tell the clerk that," Quinn said. "But I really like these dresses. My sister and Puck's sister will probably like them, too."

"I love this dress!" Tina said. "I'm getting mine today!"

"Yeah, me too," Brittany said.

"So will I," Mercedes said.

"I think I will too," Santana said.

"What about you, Rachel?" Quinn asked.

"I'm going to wait," Rachel said.

"Do you not like it?" Quinn asked. "Because if you don't like it, we can look at another one..."

"No, I like it," Rachel said. "It's just... money's been kind of tight lately?"

"Tight?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, Rachel had a root canal a few weeks ago and it wasn't covered by insurance, so she had to pay for it out of pocket," Santana said.

Rachel gave Santana a grateful look for coming up with that story. "Yeah, like what she said. "I'll get mine soon."

Quinn gave Rachel a suspicious look. "Okay. Just let me know when you get it."

x

While the girls were at the brial shop, the guys invited Puck over to the apartment. Right now, they were watching a football game on TV. Well, Finn, Sam, Blaine, Artie and Puck were watching the football game. Kurt was reading Vogue. Finn was tempted to say something to Puck about Rachel's pregnancy, since Puck had been there before, but he wanted to wait until Rachel was ready to tell more people.

"So, is your glee club almost ready for Regionals?" Puck asked Finn.

"We're getting ready," Finn said. "The woman who was in charge of it before me wants it back, so that's been annoying."

"Yeah, she doesn't like how Finn's having the kids sing classic rock songs," Sam added.

"That's stupid," Puck said.

"It is," Finn agreed. "And she failed two of the kids on a test in her class for dumb reasons."

"Finn, you didn't tell us that," Kurt said. "That's not okay!"

"I went to the principal, and he didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but if she keeps this up, I'm going back to the principal, or maybe to the board of education," Finn said.

"Yeah, she sounds like Coach Sylvester," Blaine said. The door opened as the girls came in.

"Where's your dress, Quinn?" Puck asked.

"I can't show it to you," Quinn told her fiance. "I had it sent to their Lima branch so my mom can keep it at her house."

"We brought our bridesmaid dresses home today!" Mercedes said, reaching into her bag and pulling hers out.

"I can't wait to see you in it," Sam told Mercedes.

"Well, everyone got it but Rachel," Brittany said. "She's saving money because she just had... I forget what it was called."

"A root canal," Tina said to Brittany.

Artie looked at Rachel. "You had a root canal?"

Rachel was typing on her phone. "Yeah, it wasn't too serious, so I didn't bother mentioning it, but I had to pay out of pocket because my insurance didn't cover it."

Finn noticed his phone was vibrating, so he picked it up. There was a message from Rachel. "I didn't really have a root canal. I'm just not ready to tell more people just yet, so I made up an excuse to not buy my dress today when it won't fit for the real wedding anyway."

x

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror in the NYADA bathroom. It wasn't quite obvious that she was pregnant, but there was definitely a bump in her stomach. Wearing clothes that were too big worked at school and when she went out, and she'd gotten a bigger spotlight diner uniform, but she knew that once she started the Funny Girl performances as Fanny, she'd have trouble hiding it from her costume designers.

"Well, look who's here," a voice said. Rachel saw Harmony.

"Hi Harmony," Rachel said. "How's it going living with Sebastian?"

"I actually get my own bedroom!" Harmony said.

"You've put on a little weight, haven't you?" Rachel didn't know what to say to that.

"Yeah, my appetite's gotten bigger lately..."

"Oh," Harmony said. "Well, you know that I want to play Fanny, so you'd better watch it."

She left the bathroom, leaving Rachel nervous. Had Harmony somehow guessed that Rachel was pregnant? What if word got to Funny Girl?

x

The rest of the day at NYADA went relatively normal, so Rachel figured that was a good sign. When she arrived, Rachel sat down with the other understudies, when Jean looked over at her. "Rachel, Sebastian Smythe was saying some things about you at NYADA today."

Oh no. Harmony had told Sebastian that she thought Rachel was pregnant, hadn't she? "What did he say?" Rachel asked.

"He said that you're pregnant," Jean said. Rachel didn't know what to say to that. Harmony wanted this part and Rachel knew that. She and Sebastian were probably telling people at NYADA in hopes of it getting back to Funny Girl. After all, Rachel knew that when Harmony was in New Directions, she was always doing everything in her power to get Marley, Kitty and Kylie's solos given to her. "What do you think?" Rachel asked.

"That doesn't sound like something that you would do," Jean said.

Before Rachel had a chance to respond, Rupert came over. "You mean those rumors about Rachel being pregnant? Some boy from NYADA recognized me at the coffee shop today and said something, but I know Rachel wouldn't get pregnant right after getting her dream role."

Rachel forced a smile. This was bad. Sooner or later she was going to have to tell the truth.

_SONG: Wheel In The Sky by Journey_

_Chapter 18 preview: A troublemaker from earlier in the story is back as well, and might cause trouble for Finn's growing conflict. Funny Girl staff find out about Rachel's pregnancy._

_10 reviews unlock Chapter 18!_


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